Link: http://www.torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2008/08/05/6352921-sun.html

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One fatality up north, minor crash in T.O. amount to sterling weekend

By JASON BUCKLAND, SUN MEDIA

With the Caribana celebration and civic holiday this weekend, Toronto area roads were busy but, for the most part, problem free.

"With what was going on, and all the people we had around," Acting Staff-Sgt. Scott Collins said, "it went quite well, actually."

There were no fatal vehicle collisions in Toronto over the long weekend and only one in central Ontario.

A man was killed on his motorcycle in Orillia, OPP said yesterday.

And a man was put in hospital with minor injuries after a crash last night at Danforth Ave. and Danforth Rd.

The holiday weekend was not without its notable traffic incidents, though, as several drivers made decisions they likely regret heading into the short work week.

A driver at a Tim Hortons off Hwy. 407 got so nervous when he saw a police cruiser, cops say, he put his mom's car in reverse instead of drive and backed right into a lightpole, getting the attention of the very officers he was trying to avoid.

And a driver from New York was caught -- also along the 407 -- going 227 km/h in his Infiniti G37.

CORNY EXCUSE

When asked why he was driving so fast, he told the OPP he had just eaten corn soup and really had to use the washroom.

"I've heard about the ethanol in corn making cars go fast, but this was something else," OPP Sgt. Cam Woolley said.

All in all Woolley was very impressed with the weekend's collision numbers.

From this date last year, Ontario is down 30% on fatal crashes on the province's roads.

"That's about 80 less people that are dead as a result," he said.