CHEERS: To the Mounties beefing up their presence on Island roadways. The Provincial Priority Unit, launched in 2020, is operational; traffic enforcement is a large part of its primary responsibilities. While the new-ish unit has varying responsibilities, this is the first time the RCMP has had at least a partially dedicated traffic unit on P.E.I. since 2008, when its full-time enforcement division was disbanded as a cost-cutting measure. The new unit currently consists of two officers who work throughout P.E.I. A desire for more traffic enforcement is something RCMP members hear about regularly from the communities they serve, including at local municipal councils. Traffic enforcement was a big part of the reason the province decided to fund the unit with an additional $163,000 to the RCMP. It's a move that's long overdue. Given the number of drunk drivers in our court system alone, it should never have been cut in the first place.
CHEERS: To sleep. Rested up from the Christmas break? Or still worn out from revelry? Either way, here’s a COVID-19 public health suggestion that many people might like more than wearing masks or regular hand-washing: get more sleep. There are scientists studying every single aspect of the pandemic, but a recent article in The Atlantic points out that several are examining the value of getting regular, good sleep — both to fight the virus if you get it, and to help to keep you from even catching it. Read the article here if you want all the details, but even if you don’t go in and read it all, isn’t it great to have an excuse for some warm, quiet, under-the-blankets time? “Why are you still in bed?” “Because — science!” It sounds perfect: a prescription for not getting out of bed.
JEERS: To truth mirroring fiction. Pickup truck drivers have had a reputation for bad and aggressive driving that’s turned into a bit of a public joke. But, according to statistics from American insurers, drivers of large pickups also have a reputation for something else. Statistics compiled by American insurance aggregator Insurify looked at scores of insurance applications and driving records and found that Dodge Ram 2500 drivers were more likely to have had an impaired driving charge on their record. And drivers of other big pickups also had poor records. The study found 45.3 out of every 1,000 American Ram 2500 owners had been charged with impaired driving. That compares to just an average of 17.9 drivers out of 1,000 across all of the 2.7 million insurance applications Insurify reviewed.
