One of Sir Isaac Newton's laws of motion has formed the basis for the latest poster in the Abbotsford Police Department's (APD) road-safety campaign.
The poster states "Newton says: A body in motion stays in motion until … your head hits the windshield." It pictures the front mangled end of a small car, including a gaping hole in the driver's side of the windshield.
Const. Ian MacDonald said the photo is from an actual collision that took place in 2008.
In that incident, two cars crashed head-on at an Abbotsford intersection, where one driver was heading straight and the other was making a left turn.
MacDonald said the driver of the car pictured was not wearing a seatbelt and suffered serious head injuries when he struck the windshield.
He said neither driver was going particularly fast, but the collision illustrates how crucial it is to stay alert on the roads.
"It's trying to show that there are people who ignore traffic laws … but our point of emphasis is that you can't ignore the law of physics."
The APD has made traffic safety its top priority in 2013, including a public awareness campaign throughout the year.
MacDonald said the introduction of the second poster in the series, released Tuesday, is timely. Abbotsford recorded its 100th collision of the year – a minor incident at South Fraser Way and Clearbrook Road – the previous day.
Also on Monday, two drivers were ticketed for excessive speeding and had their cars impounded.
The first incident was at about 12:20 p.m., when a 22-year-old woman was
recorded along Livingstone Avenue travelling at 103 km/h in a 50 km/h zone.
MacDonald said the woman recently had her driver's licence returned after it had been suspended for a period due to issues such as speeding.
He said the woman's excuse after she was pulled over by police was that she was testing her skills after not having driven for awhile.
The second incident was at about 1:15 p.m. along Downes Road near Glenmore Road.
MacDonald said a woman in her 30s was recorded travelling at 130 km/h in a 50 km/h zone. Just before she was pulled over, she ran a stop sign while going 109 km/h, he said.
The woman had a baby in the backseat.
"She said the reason she was speeding was because the child was crying and hungry," MacDonald said.
He said police will continue traffic enforcement and education throughout 2013.
"As a community, we need to do better. We believe that many of these crashes can be avoided if drivers stay alert, slow down and think safe."