Fewer collisions during virus outbreak

Police have noticed an increase in speeding and stunt driving during pandemic, however

Waterloo Regional Police has processed reports for more than 2,000 motor vehicle collisions since the outbreak of COVID-19. Accidents peaked in March when police responded to 871 vehicle accidents. That was followed by 372 in April, 553 in May and 227 in June.

So, how does that compare to other years?

It’s complicated.

With the addition of Waterloo Accident

Support Services International — who now takes care of nonmajor collisions — the way police count collisions is changing. For example, in two-car collisions where both parties fill out a report, police used to count those reports as two separate collisions. Now, those reports are tracked, merged and counted as one.

Due to the changes in its data management processes, Const. André Johnson said the 2020 overall numbers cannot be easily compared to prior years.

April and throughout May as well,” said Johnson, a public information officer with the police service. June numbers will be made available later in the month, he said.

Traditionally, motor vehicle accidents are most common during the winter months when road conditions are at their worst. Johnson said it’s not uncommon for police to deal with between 30 and 50 collisions per day in the winter months after a fresh snow.

With much of COVID-19 impacting Canada in the spring and summer, combined with the reduced traffic density from the closing of non-essential businesses, drivers have been dealing with optimal conditions on the roads throughout the pandemic.

Early data released from the Region of Waterloo in late April showed about half as many cars as usual were driving on the region’s roads during the pandemic. Johnson said the reduced traffic would be “one of” the main contributing factors to the low number of collisions this year.

But not all drivers have been utilizing the “Sunday drive” mentality on the open streets.

With more open space, Johnson said police started receiving calls of reckless driving and speed racing early in the pandemic.

For the last two weeks of April, members of the Waterloo Regional Police Service’s traffic unit and the Ontario Provincial Police’s Cambridge detachment and Highway Safety Division initiated Operation Overpass.

The road safety campaign resulted in nearly 800 tickets issued, with police giving out 428 speeding charges, 140 stunt driving charges, 14 aggressive driving charges, 12 distracted driving charges and eight impaired driving charges.

Other charges laid include seatbelt infractions, Compulsory Automobile Insurance Act charges, Criminal Code charges and Cannabis Control Act charges.

“We have seen an increase of extreme speeds on our roadways,” said Johnson. “We have seen an increase in complaints, and a pretty significant increase in the amount of people who were engaging in stunt driving.”

Now, as the province moves toward Phase 3 and a return to normal road congestion levels, police are reminding motorists to slow down and obey all rules of the road.