May 18, 2018
The Office of Traffic Safety has published
Motor Vehicle Collisions 2017, an annual account of collisions and related deaths and injuries of people who use the streets in Edmonton.
"We track and share this data so we can help find ways to prevent fatalities and serious injuries," said Gerry Shimko, Executive Director of the City's Traffic Safety section.
"We use the data to inform the City on what initiatives, including left-turn only signals, right-turn redesigns of intersections, crosswalks and education campaigns, should be made priorities in a Vision Zero city," Shimko said. "We also use the numbers to inform road designs and neighbourhood renewal."
The 70-page report includes statistics on fatalities and injuries by mode of transportation, by traffic control device and, in the case of injuries, by severity and hospitalization. The report also reveals patterns, including the time of day collisions are most likely to occur, the age of those most likely to make mistakes, and the driving action that preceded the collision.
Among the findings, the report reveals that from 2016 to 2017:
- Total collisions rose 3.3 per cent from 23,139 to 23,906
- Fatal collisions rose 23.8 per cent from 21 to 26
- Injury collisions increased 2 per cent from 2,656 to 2,710
- Pedestrian collisions dropped 7.5 per cent from 292 to 270
- Bicycle collisions fell 16.4 per cent from 171 to 143, and
- Motorcycle collisions decreased 19.4 per cent from 191 to 154.
Fewer pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists experienced injury collisions in 2017 compared to the previous year. Over the same period, Edmonton’s population rose 0.2 per cent.
“Heading into the Victoria Day long weekend, we remind everyone using the roads to travel safely,” said Shimko.
