Surprise, surprise traffic fatalities drop in Lower Mainland
By Contributor
Traffic fatalities are down an unprecedented 38% from 2010 to 2011 in the RCMP-policed areas in the Lower Mainland.
And the drop is getting international attention from other police forces.
There were 97 traffic fatalities in the RCMP Lower Mainland policed areas in 2010, and 60 fatalities in 2011.
Fatalities have been dropping for the last five to six years, but this past year’s drop is the most dramatic.
“It’s fantastic news – 37 fewer deaths in one year alone – and it’s across four of our key areas that we focus on – impaired driving, seatbelts, distracted driving and speed. Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like this,” says Superintendent Norm Gaumont, head of Traffic Services for the RCMP in the Lower Mainland.
“We attribute the drop to a combination of legislative changes, growing public awareness of the new laws, and the continued enforcement of those laws.”
Supt. Gaumont warns that the numbers are still preliminary, but given the good news he wanted to get the word out. Declines in the four priority areas are as follows:
Alcohol related deaths – 36 in 2010; 17 in 2011 or a 53% reduction
Seatbelt related deaths – 20 in 2010; 5 in 2011 or a 75% reduction
Speed related deaths – 38 in 2010; 20 in 2011 or a 47% reduction
Distracted/Inattentive related deaths – 45 in 2010; 26 in 2011 or a 42% reduction
The decline in fatalities has attracted international attention from other police forces.
Supt. Gaumont is in Kuwait for the second time next week, at the request of the Kuwait Prime Minister’s office, to assist the country in developing strategies to reduce traffic fatalities.
Right now the country has approximately 400 traffic fatalities a year for a population of 4 million.
“Kuwait City has approximately the same number of vehicles on the roads as we do here in the Lower Mainland,” says Supt. Gaumont.
“And our issues are similar to their issues – aggressive driving and speeding, intersection problems and distracted driving. They looked at our laws and successes and they want to learn from us.”
The reduction in fatalities has also caught the attention of Indonesian traffic police. A senior advisor with the country’s National Traffic Police Corps met with Supt. Gaumont last week to discuss best practices.
“My message to both police forces is the same – you need three key things: good laws, visible and targeted enforcement, and to maximize enforcement efforts with media attention.”
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