Great that police are cracking down, Ridiculous that it's required
Editorial

OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino announced last week that his staff will be using all of their resources this month to reduce aggressive driving of commercial vehicles.

This is the latest crackdown that police have announced in an effort to reduce some of the stupidity on the roads. Various police agencies have been involved in such efforts. York Regional Police have their program in which motorists are urged to cal 9-1-1 if they spot a driver they suspect might be impaired. And they have their Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) spot checks out all the time, especially when heavy drinking is anticipated (they were out this weekend, looking for drivers who might have had too many while watching the Super Bowl).

And Fantino himself has not been shy when it comes to worrying about the habits of some drivers, especially in terms of speed.

Late last year, he was heard to lash out against motorists who don't adjust their driving for the road conditions, and he said he would be proposing changes to the Highway Traffic Act to go after such people.

"Too many drivers still don't adjust their driving habits for the wide range of weather conditions that we experience in Ontario," he was quoted as saying at the time.

It is true that adverse weather makes for more hazardous driving conditions, as many of us were reminded of Friday. Some of us were able to stay off the roads, but there were many who had to drive to work or other important appointments. That's part of life, and the drivers who exercised due caution and adjusted their driving habits accordingly for the most part got to where they were going. It might take a little longer to get to your destination in such conditions, but Canadians know about snow and know it causes delays. People with any brains accept that, and are prepared to accept a bit of tardiness.

But it's unfortunate that there are many drivers who don't get the message, thus requiring the Julian Fantinos of the world to want to crack down.

We have no problem with police cracking down on bad driving. Indeed, we all pay taxes, and part of that money goes to paying them to do their job. We're just puzzled that such action always seems to be necessary.