With 100 collisions around GTHA, CAA prioritizing customers in unsafe situations

Nadia Matos of CAA South Central Ontario speaks about their effort to assist drivers and how calls are being prioritized.

With 100 collisions reported to the OPP in the last 24 hours, and another 100 calls for vehicles stuck in ditches around the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), those navigating the roads are being urged to drive carefully.

Nadia Matos with CAA in South Central Ontario is echoing that message.

In an interview with CP24 on Sunday, she urged people to stay home, regardless of how confident they might feel on the road.

“We want to limit the amount of collisions that there are out there and (home) is going to be the safest place for you,” she said.

Since visibility is low, which is making it difficult to get around, the CAA is prioritizing responding to customers who are in unsafe situations and limiting tows to about 30 kilometres.

“If you are someone that is safe and at home, it’s going to take us a little longer to get to you because it’s difficult to get around,” she said. “So we are really focused on people who are in this weather and stuck in the weather.”

Matos explained that unsafe situations include travelling on the highway in a live lane of traffic, locking your keys outside, and having a mechanical failure while being stuck out in the elements.

She added that areas in the GHTA that are seeing higher accumulations of snow make it more difficult to get to.

As visibility deteriorates going into the evening, Matos warns that will have an impact for drivers and people responding to emergencies.

“Slowing down and moving over is so important, especially when we have reduced visibility like this,” she said.

“The tow operators, the first responders, the emergency operators…it’s important to slow down and move over and give those who are working on the roads space to do their work.”

Matos suspects by tomorrow morning, when people head back to work, they will be getting more tow-related calls.