Toronto Injury Lawyer Blog
The feature article in this Saturday’s Globe & Mail was titled “The End of Winter: What We Lose When We Lose Winter“. To lose the season to climate change seems cataclysmic. I would agree.
The article dealt with skiing in Rockies in Western Canada. There are challenges skiing when the weather is too warm and there isn’t enough snow to get in proper ski runs.
Last week in Toronto, we hit temperature highs of around 16 degrees. This week, we have seen lows of around -6 degrees. That’s quite the temperature swing.
When the weather gets hot, we change our clothes and footwear accordingly. The same applies to when things get cold. But we we see wild weather swings which go from spring/summer weather back to winter weather, it can be a bit dangerous because many people have problems adjusting.
I can’t say I blame them. How does one go to a summer mindset, back to a winter weather mindset in 24hrs? Just yesterday, kids were outside riding their bikes (some in shorts) and playing on muddy fields in shoes (or sandals). Yet today, we’re all back to wearing parkas, mittens and snow boots?
To suggest these changes in temperature don’t effect our behaviour or patterns is out of touch. What our personal injury lawyers see is that these spikes and drops in temperatures cause an increase in claims. This means that more people are getting hurt, in part, because we are going from a summer mindset, and expected to get back to a winter mindset.
Do you drive differently when the roads are clear than you do when then roads are snow and ice covered?
Do you wear different footwear in the winter months, than you would in the spring/summer months?
Are you outside more when the weather is nice and pleasant, as oppose to when it’s cold and windy?
Are children more likely to walk or ride their bikes to school when it’s nice outside, as oppose to when it’s freezing?
What happens when the temperature fluctuates in a 24 hour period, such that it feels like spring and then reverts back to a cold weather winter climate? How would you dress, or would your dress differently than you normally would? How would this change your commuting pattern?
For many Canadians, changes in weather have a large impact on how they get around. Are you walking to work in a giant snow fall, taking transit, riding a bike or driving? Is your boss letting you out of work a bit earlier knowing that a big storm is on its way? Perhaps your employer is more likely to let you work from home knowing that some in climate weather is on its way.
