The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) Traffic Services Unit has compiled statistics from this year's Project Safe Start road safety initiative.
Over the course of the two-week campaign, which ran from Monday, August 26 to Friday, September 6, officers focused on a number of unsafe driving behaviours. Top offences observed by police included:
- speeding (56 per cent of total tickets issued)
- sign infractions (19 per cent of total tickets issued)
- documentary offices (14 percent of total tickets issued)
- hand-held device offences (2 per cent of total tickets issued)
During Project Safe Start, HRPS officers issued a total of 4,178 Provincial Offence Notices and 379 warnings. This compares to 3,592 Provincial Offence Notices and 566 warnings issued during Project Safe Start in 2018.
HRPS also rolled out an aggressive social media campaign as part of this road safety initiative, comprised of targeted messages, reminding the community that pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and police all play an integral role in road safety within Halton Region. These daily messages garnered over 365,000 impressions.
"With more than 100,000 children returning to school in Halton at the beginning of September, Project Safe Start served as a timely opportunity for 'recalibration' of driver behavior to address any poor driving habits developed over the summer months," said Sergeant Ryan Snow, Traffic Services Unit. "Road safety is truly a shared responsibility and when drivers comply with the rules of the road, everyone wins by arriving safely at their destination."
Residents are reminded that they can file driving complaints or request enforcement of a particular area using our website at www.haltonpolice.ca (under Most Requested Information -> Roadwatch or Traffic Complaints respectively). Criminal/dangerous driving should be reported immediately by calling 9-1-1.
BACKGROUND
For 12 years, Project Safe Start has served as a highly visible reminder to drivers in Halton Region that children are returning to school. Project Safe Start stresses the need to slow down, remain alert for pedestrians and cyclists, and pay attention to school crossing guards escorting children across busy intersections. This Project encourages vigilance by drivers not just in and around school zones, but across the region. Many students walk through non-school zones to arrive at their destination. The lives of these students depends on the compliance of all drivers, on all roads, with all applicable traffic laws.