A drop in traffic-related fatalities on Hamilton, Ont., roads last year ended a three-year upward trend, but a police traffic safety spokesperson was quick to downplay that figure.
Despite a drop to 15 deaths in 2023 compared with 24 reported the year before, traffic safety unit Supt. David Hennick said the number is still concerning since it exceeds the city’s Vision Zero initiatives, which targets zero road fatalities.
“I’m not quick to celebrate that,” Hennick said.
“We have to make sure that we’re all remaining focused on our driving.”
Most of the deaths came from 14 fatal motor vehicle collisions, a number 26.3 per cent lower than the 19 counted in 2022.
Of the 15 deceased, seven were drivers, four passengers, three pedestrians and a single cyclist.
Overall collisions were also down, 2.6 per cent, to just under 9,000.
Hennick attributes the sliding numbers to a “collective effort” between police and the city to improve prevention and enforcement on roadways considered to have traditionally high collision reports.
He suggests infrastructure inspections after crashes, which include reassessing signage and painted guidelines on troubled roadways, as well as patrolling problem areas more often, likely have helped.
“They’re really choosing to be, more focused and more strategic in their work and taking a look at the things in our community that have caused fatal collisions and serious motor vehicle collisions,” Hennick explained.
“Understanding what those offences are and where those offences are occurring.”
During a board meeting last week, deputy chief Paul Hamilton added that staffing pressures also may have affected data to a lesser degree, with only 61 per cent of service calls being answered in 2023.
“So the average front-line officer on the road, the opportunity to do traffic enforcement has been reduced,” Hamilton explained.
“I think more importantly, we’ve moved to a more strategic approach to traffic enforcement.”
Alcohol and drug-related driving offences decreased 8.4 per cent year over year to 650 incidents.
There were 146 motor vehicle collisions involving alcohol, drugs, or both, in 2023, compared with 165 in 2022.
In all, police handed out fewer traffic tickets in 2023, close to 32,000.
In 2022, the service wrote up about 41,800 traffic-related provincial offence notices.
Some 6,100 speeding tickets were handed out last year, around 2,400 less than the 8,500 issued the year before.
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