Two people have died in as many days on Edmonton roads in collisions in which police say speed was believed to be a factor.
Just after 3 a.m. on Sunday, a car was heading south on 149th Street when police said the driver lost control, crossed into the northbound lanes and collided with an oncoming SUV.
The passenger in the car — a man in his 20s — was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he later died.
Just after 3:15 p.m. on Monday, a 21-year-old man riding a motorcycle on Groat Road was killed. Police said the motorcycle was heading north when it hit the centre median, launching the driver into the southbound lanes, where he struck the front of an oncoming vehicle.
Police believe speed was a factor in both collisions.
“This is absolutely a ridiculous problem in most cities across North America and we’re no exception to that,” Edmonton police Chief Dale McFee said in an unrelated news conference last week when asked about speeding on Edmonton roads.
“It’s craziness. Somebody is going to get hurt. You would think it’s a NASCAR race in some cases.”
So far this year, there have been 11 fatal collisions in Edmonton in which police believe speed was a contributing factor. Three have happened so far in September.
McFee would like to see changes to the Traffic Safety Act that would allow police to seize the vehicles of drivers caught speeding more than 50 kilometres an hour over the posted speed limit.
“We’re one of the few provinces that doesn’t have the ability to seize vehicles over 50,” McFee said. “A fine isn’t the answer…. It’s proven in multiple provinces that the vehicle is the best thing to actually focus on. They can get another vehicle but that gets expensive quickly.
“If somebody is speeding over 50 kilometres an hour over the speed limit in the city of Edmonton — let’s face it, that’s ridiculous.”
In a statement, Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis said high-speed driving not only endangers the driver and passengers, but it also poses risks to pedestrians and other road users.
“Enforcing speed limits and promoting awareness about the dangers of speeding are essential for ensuring safer road environments,” Ellis said.
“We will continue to work with law enforcement and stakeholders on other potential enforcement avenues.”
McFee also believes photo radar has a place in traffic safety.
“I get that some are trying to look at photo enforcement just based on money.
“For us, this isn’t about money, this is about safety. Look at how many fatalities we have.”
The executive director of the Safer Roads Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting safer driving, said the number of fatal, speed-related collisions in the city so far is staggering and concerning.
“Collisions due to aggressive driving, speeding, that’s all preventable,” Debbie Hammond said.
She said the City of Edmonton and Edmonton police have done a good job at making road safety a priority in the city.
“There is no loss of data and research to show that when we have proper enforcement — and that would include automated enforcement — when we have good education and strong government policies working together, we make a difference,” Hammond said, adding she supports the chief’s call to make changes to the Traffic Safety Act.
“Those types of policies would be a very big deterrent for drivers because losing your vehicle means you might not have a job.”
Hammond went on to say that drivers have to do their part too.
“We’re all going somewhere, and we all want to get to where we’re going and we can’t rely on enforcement and the government to make this their problem, because ultimately, we’re the ones out there driving. So it falls on us as drivers.”