While traffic collisions were down overall in 2020, there are three target areas in Collingwood to which local Ontario Provincial Police officers will be paying extra attention this year.
As part of the Collingwood Police Services Board meeting on Monday afternoon, a new report on Collingwood’s OPP’s 2021 Traffic Plan shed some light on areas of concern within the municipality.
In 2020, there were two fatal collisions in Collingwood. There were 66 non-fatal injury collisions (a decrease of three per cent over 2019), and 417 collisions that resulted in property damage only (a decrease of 23 per cent over 2019).
Overall, collisions were down over 2019 numbers by 20 per cent.
Over the past three years (from 2018 to 2020), the top three main reasons for all collisions in Collingwood has been inattentive driving (16 per cent of collisions are attributed to this reason), followed by unknown (15 per cent) and failure to yield to the right of way (10 per cent).
The top-three places for collisions in Collingwood over the past three years according to OPP statistics are:
- First St. between Huron St. and Mountain Road (16 collisions with injuries, 15 property damage only)
- Hurontario St. between Highway 26 and Poplar Sideroad (18 collisions with injuries, 42 property damage only)
- Grey Rd. 19 between Grey Rd 21. and Highway 26 (three fatal collisions, 17 collisions with injuries, 34 property damage only)
In 2020, there were nine motorcycle collisions on Collingwood roads, six resulted in non-fatal injuries and three were property damage only.
Over the past three years, the top reason for motorcycle collisions locally was following too closely.
According to the report, there are five areas of recommendation the OPP will be focusing on to address the issues locally:
- Aggressive driving (primary cause for 21 per cent of all collisions over the past three years).
- Driver inattention (primary cause in 20 per cent of all collisions over the past three years).
- Rules of the road (25 per cent of all collisions)
- Impaired by alcohol or drugs (three per cent of all collisions)
- Animal/wildlife (seven per cent of all collisions)
High-visibility enforcement and surveillance technology will be used, and road signs with public education messages and stigmatizing aggressive driving behaviours and inattention through public education campaigns.
On Monday afternoon (June 14), the Collingwood Police Service Board voted to defer the item to a special meeting mid-summer. The date has not yet been determined.
