New police squad to zero-in on bad drivers
Unit will be targeting motorists responsible for causing serious collisions
A new Toronto police squad focused on reducing the number of serious and fatal collisions will be hitting the streets starting Monday.
The Vision Zero Traffic Enforcement Team, which Chief James Ramer announced in August, will consist of 16 constables and two sergeants who will be getting around in five marked and six unmarked vehicles.
Their job will be to protect Toronto’s most vulnerable road users by targeting drivers who cause serious collisions.
The squad will be on the look out for those who commit what are known as the “Big 4” offences: speeding, distracted driving, aggressive driving and impaired driving.
“Traffic Safety impacts all of us in Toronto. Increasing enforcement will send a clear message to drivers who put road users at risk and break the law — they will be charged,” said Ramer, who joined Mayor John Tory, Deputy Chief Shawna Coxon and Traffic Services’
Supt. Scott Baptist for the launch of the new team.
“While we recognize that some collisions are inevitable in a city the size of Toronto, those that result in death and serious injury are preventable and unacceptable. This Vision Zero Enforcement Team will be there to put the brakes on bad driver behaviours.”
From 2003 to 2012, Toronto police had a similar squad known as the “Strategic Targeted Enforcement Measures” team, however this latest incarnation is different in that latest City of Toronto data will be used to proactively tailor enforcement to specific parts of the city at certain times of the day “where there are higher collision rates and concerns around dangerous driving behaviour.”
“With evidence-based strategic deployment and increased police presence and visibility, this team will bring us one step closer to our vision of zero fatalities on our roads,” Ramer said in a news release.
Toronto police said the new Vision Zero Traffic Enforcement Team, which is part of Traffic Services, would enhance Toronto-wide traffic enforcement, educational work and planned traffic campaigns through a “multi-pronged approach to intercept, educate and enhance public awareness regarding unacceptable driving behaviours.”
A temporary road safety enforcement initiative was initially launched back in January after approval by the Toronto Police Services Board.
Since then, the team has issued more than 29,000 tickets.
Tory said the new Vision Zero Traffic Enforcement Team is one way for the city to carry out its five-year Vision Zero Safety Plan.
“We are working to implement every aspect of the city’s Vision Zero Road Safety Plan to make our streets safer for everyone.
“Today, we are demonstrating how we continue to address road safety within the city and how it continues to be a top priority for myself, city council and the Toronto Police Service,” he said in a release.