Seven people have died in crashes on Highway 17 in the first seven months of the year. Now, the daughter of one of those victims is calling on the province to make safety improvements she hopes would prevent another family from experiencing the same loss. Mallory Brinton’s mother, 62-year-old Brenda Aubin, was killed in a crash on Highway 17 in May. Nearly two months later, Brinton returned to the roadside where the collision happened, saying she wants to turn her family’s grief into action. “Knowing that someone of that awareness when driving can get into an accident and lose her life, it’s just one of the main reasons that really brought it to the forefront,” Brinton said. Aubin spent years behind the wheel as a school bus driver and travelled Highway 17 regularly. Brinton says if someone with her mother’s experience could lose her life, anyone can. Three days after her mother’s death, Brinton launched an online petition urging the Ontario government to improve safety at the intersection where the collision happened. The petition has gathered more than 2,600 signatures and calls for additional warning signs, painted left-turn arrows, flashing warning lights and other traffic control measures aimed at alerting drivers to vehicles turning left off Highway 17. “I’ll be the first to admit I’ve gotten complacent when driving, not realizing it and now that my mom’s gone, you really realize that it is so important to know your surroundings and not get so settled in,” Brinton said. “But I feel like having those flashing lights, even so, in the nighttime, is something that can be done.” Another fatal collision near Renfrew on July 17, claimed the life of a 19-year-old Ottawa man, bringing the number of people killed on Highway 17 this year to seven. “It was just that reminder that the steps that I’ve taken since my mom passed are important and needed,” Brinton said. Residents who regularly travel Highway 17 say the recent string of fatal crashes has heightened their concerns about the roadway. “I have a daughter who lives in the States now, and her husband’s always worried when she comes up to visit by herself. He’s worried about her taking that highway,” said Helen Paquette who lives just outside of Renfrew. The Ministry of Transportation says a safety review is underway to identify where improvements may be needed along the highway. The province also says planning to twin the highway between Arnprior and Renfrew is ongoing. Brinton presented the petition to Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP Billy Denault this week and hopes the proposed safety improvements can be implemented before another family experiences the loss hers did. “If it saves one life, that’s worth it for me,” Brinton said.
