Victim wants larger "wrong way" signs at 400 series entrances
by Bruce Haire

Simcoe Gey MPP Jim Wilson and April Sobisch at the press conference

April Sobisch is still recovering from her injuries from a head-on collision on Highway 400 in Barrie over a year ago.

Her seven month old son, Owen, survived without a scratch but she would spend the next four months in Sunnybrook and St. John's rehabilitation hospital with almost every bone in her body broken.

Thursday MPP Jim Wilson introduced The Owen Eisses Act (named after April's son) to lower the "Wrong Way" signs and make them larger.

The new signs would replace the current ones in use on 400 series ramps which are more than 30 years old.

Driving the wrong way on divided highways is not uncommon. The OPP state there were more than 259 wrong way incidents from June 1 to Nov. 20th this year.

Thirteen traffic accidents involving wrong-way drivers claimed 21 lives between February of 2002 and June of 2005.

April wants larger "in your face" signs saying "Wrong Way" like those used in British Columbia and Nova Scotia.

Under the Act, signs and lights will be placed at the entrance to every ramp to controlled-access highways to alert drivers who may be entering onto the highway heading in the wrong direction. Sensor-activated, electronic flashing signs that are triggered by automobiles travelling in the wrong direction on highway entrance ramps would be installed.

"Our aim is to save lives," said Wilson. The Bill passed first reading on Thursday and April said they now hope to have discussions with the Ministry of Transportation.

Meanwhile, April, who just turned 30, still faces another battle to get healthy.

"The left side of me doesn't bend

very well," she said. "I walk with a cane."

She takes physical therapy three times of week for two hours at a time.

She has had eight to nine surgeries, her most recent October 13th and faces several more.

But she has a remarkably positive attitude and describes herself as "very lucky" looking at her son Owen every day.

She and her husband Scott Eisses live in Alliston and Scott grew up in Innisfil.