A road safety campaign sparked by a tragic collision in Eugenia has continued to grow.
Ron Barnett revealed many residents of the small village were shocked and saddened by the fatal hit and run on a dark evening in August of 2022.
"It was a nice evening, warm evening, when four people went out for a walk and got into an accident," he continued. "They were hit by a truck that was coming back from a day on the lake. One person was killed, and the other three were sent to the hospital, one with life threatening injuries. And it happened just a couple of blocks from where I live. So it really struck me hard, as it did everyone in the community."
Barnett wanted to do something to prevent such a horrible event from occurring again.
"The lighting on that street wasn't great," he explained. "I thought, well, what can we do to try and make this situation better so that this doesn't happen again? And so I thought of lighted armbands that people could wear as they were walking around in the dark. It would at least help them be seen better by the motorists."
In the fall of 2022, Barnett decided to purchase and distribute LED arm bands to improve pedestrian safety.
"I researched and sourced some arm bands, and we got 700 of them purchased for distribution in in my small village," he shared. "We got businesses involved in sponsoring it to pay the costs, and then they were distributed through retail businesses in our little village. And everybody was very happy and very supportive of it. And I thought, well, this is good, so I should maybe think about expanding it. And I did that in the second year. Last year we we bought 1,200 of these armbands. And then this year, I thought I should expand it even further and go all of Southern Grey County. I bought 4,000 armbands for distribution."
He raised funds with the help of The Hanley Institute Youth Centre in Flesherton and partnered with Centre Grey Health Services Foundation in Markdale, focusing on their annual Gran Fondo cycling event September 8.
He added the armbands also come with a pamphlet entitled “Walk, Bike, Drive Safe".
"The armbands came with some education," he said. "It's a brochure that talks about, you know, tips on how to how to walk safely, how to cycle safely, the rules of the road."
An extra 1,000 were printed for distribution in area hospitals and information centres.
Barnett said local businesses were only too happy to participate and local families loved the arm band giveaway.
"Pretty much everybody's all in favour," he exclaimed. "Very few people say, no, I won't do this because it's such a feel good thing. I've been able to get support from each of the municipalities in southern Great County to help out, and also from the Ontario Road Safety Community Partnership Grant."
Additional funding was provided by local businesses and the municipalities of Chatsworth, Grey Highlands, West Grey, and Southgate to help pay for the costs of the new campaign.
“The level of support and encouragement I’ve received with various groups and Municipal Councils is humbling,” said Barnett, following a recent delegation in Grey Highlands.
Arm bands and brochures are being distributed at Fall Fairs, just in time for the longer nights of Fall. They are available at participating retail locations, including Garage 13, Barkhouse Pet and Top O’ The Rock in Eugenia, Highland Grounds in Flesherton and Steven’s Restaurant/Champ Burger in Markdale. Arm bands and brochures will also be handed out for free at various public events by Grey County Tourism, Chatsworth Fire & Safety, West Grey Police Services, the Municipalities of Grey Highlands, Southgate Township and the Hanley Institute.
Barnett is considering expanding the program further, if finances are available. His next goal is to make the lighted arm bands available in all of Grey County.