It’s been a year since Audrey Bieber was killed in dense fog as she was travelling to work and her husband continues to call for a task force to look at a local school board's travel policies.
Doug Bieber is asking the Thames Valley District School Board to review or change its policies, something he’s wanted to see since his wife died Oct. 1, 2013.
Skies were clear that morning when Bieber left her Highgate home, but on the radio, there were reports of fog near her job at Strathroy District Collegiate Institute, where she worked as an education assistant. Buses had been delayed.
“I remember asking her, ‘Well, you can just take it a little easier now.’ And she said, ‘No, I really can't. They've asked us to report as close to our normal time as (we) can.’
“She gave me a big kiss and said, ‘See you tonight.’"
Bieber missed a stop sign and her vehicle collided with another. She died at the scene.
In the year since the tragic crash, Doug Bieber has been calling for change. He's not upset with the school board, but he is questioning their fog policy and calling for a review."
He has written a letter to the school board director and other senior staff.
He wants a task force – or at least a discussion – on new options for staff attending work in bad weather.
He says instructions given to his wife were unsatisfactory.
So far, he’s received sympathetic letters and information on current policies. He’d like to see some change.
“If you can't see between 300 and 500 feet clearly, you shouldn’t necessarily be on the road."
He remains committed to getting some answers from the board.
“I’m not bearing any grudge with them at all, but I think they can do better.”
While the board didn’t directly respond to Bieber’s request for a review, a senior administrator says weather can be variable across the large district.
“It remains up to each individual employee to determine if, due to inclement weather, it is safe to drive to his or her place of employment.”
