Regional roads are getting safer according to the Region of Waterloo’s most recent collision report from 2020, a year that saw collisions on local roads drop by 32 per cent.
But while the overall trends are encouraging, the city of Cambridge still ranks high in the region when it comes to the number of collisions.
Cambridge had 1,408 collisions in 2020, resulting in one fatality, 131 personal injuries and 1,276 instances of property damage.
The roughly 10 accidents per 1,000 residents is the second highest behind only North Dumfries’ 10.8 per 1,000.
When it comes to the overall cost to residents due to collisions, a pair of Cambridge locations take the top two spots.
Accidents at King St. and Bishop St. have cost $64,964, the highest dollar amount in the region. Hespeler Road at Maple Grove Road/Fisher Mills Road comes in at No. 2, having cost $61,347. Excess social costs takes into account factors such as property damage and loss of income due to injury.
Roads that fall under the jurisdiction of the region saw 4,715 collisions in 2020. The number, down from the 6,942 in 2019, is the largest annual decrease in the past five years.
“It’s great to see the number of collisions continue to decrease, but we can do more to keep our roads safe,” Steve van De Keere, director of Transportation Services for the Region said in a release.
“Over the years, the region has implemented a number of educational and road safety programs like roundabouts, red light cameras, pedestrian countdown signals, signalized intersection offset crosswalks, rural all-way stops and high-visibility ladder crosswalks, all to improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.”
While those safety measures have certainly helped, another major factor in the decrease of collisions was the overall decline in motor vehicle volume due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With public safety measures including lockdowns in place for much of the year and more people working remotely, traffic volume went down by approximately 30 per cent.
To review the entire 2020 collision report visit regionofwaterloo.ca.
