EDMONTON – Edmonton police are getting creative in their fight to lower collisions. The service is using Twitter to connect with motorists by providing them with information it hopes will make them better drivers.
Edmonton police have been hosting an event called ‘Twitter Tuesday’ on the social media network once a week.
For one hour, Sgt. Kerry Bates answers driver’s traffic related questions through the Edmonton Police Service Twitter account, with the hashtag #traffictuesday.
“A lot of them pertain to every day situations. Like in Edmonton fixed circles are kind of a hot topic of ‘what to do’ and how to manage vehicles through traffic circles; questions about right-of-ways; funeral processions, rights of ways that they have,” says Bates.
According to Edmonton police, there were a reported 24,803 collisions in 2013, which is a 6.7 per cent increase from 2012 which had 23,243 collisions.
Bates believes a lack of knowledge of traffic laws is partly to blame.
“Maybe right turns or left turns on to one-way streets that may plug traffic up and frustrate a motorist behind someone that’s waiting, when they’re free to make a turn but don’t.”
Bates says the most common questions refer to traffic circles, right-of-way in uncontrolled intersections, and questions about specific roads or intersections in the city.
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