London, ON – Taking steps to prevent road-related injuries and deaths through improved road design, education and law enforcement is the basis for this year’s Not By Accident Conference. The annual injury prevention conference takes place on Thursday, October 25th at London’s Best Western Lamplighter Inn and Conference Centre. The conference will bring together representatives from the education, health care, law enforcement, emergency services and other sectors. This year’s theme is Using the 3 “Es” of Road Safety: Engineering, Education and Enforcement.

Not By Accident Conference speakers include:

• Dr. Natalie Yanchar, Associate Professor in Paediatric General Surgery at Dalhousie University and the Medical Director of the Trauma Program at the IWK Health Centre, the Level I Pediatric Trauma Centre for the Maritimes; Topic: Injury Prevention and Helmets, It’s a No Brainer
• Greg Junnor, Senior Project Manager with the Transportation Planning Practice of Hatch Mott MacDonald Consulting; Topic: Driver Distraction from an Engineering Perspective
• Dr. Dan Cass, Deputy Chief Coroner of Investigations and Chair of the Cycling Death Review; Topic: A Review of All Accidental Cycling Deaths in Ontario.
• Dr. Bert Lauwers, Deputy Chief Coroner of Inquests and Chair of the Pedestrian Death Review; Topic: A Review of All Accidental Pedestrian Deaths in Ontario.
• Chris Whaley, Provincial Manager of Specialized Patrol in the Highway Safety Division of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP); Topic: Enforcement Experience
• Lynn Hodgkinson, Account Executive, 3M Traffic Safety System; Topic: Technologies that Make Roads Safer.

“The goal of the conference is to bring our delegates together with experts in the field to highlight proven road safety strategies,” says Megan Georgieff, Public Health Nurse with the Middlesex-London Health Unit’s Healthy Communities and Injury Prevention Team. “Our hope is that through planning, enforcement and awareness, we can take steps to reduce injuries and deaths.”

Media Contact:
Dan Flaherty, Communications Manager, Middlesex-London Health Unit, 519-663-5317 ext. 2469 or 519-617-0570 (cell)

Spokesperson:
Megan Georgieff, Public Health Nurse, Middlesex-London Health Unit