WELLINGTON COUNTY — Wellington County has seen a significant reduction in fatal motor vehicle collisions so far in 2024.
According to data provided by Wellington County OPP Detachment Commander Steve Thomas, as of this August, the county has seen a 30 per cent reduction in fatal motor vehicle collisions compared to last year over the same period.
When asked why, Thomas said several things paint a bigger picture of what helps with traffic, including enforcement, education, road design and traffic calming measures and he's hopeful they contributed to the reduction.
"I'm happy to see a reduction in fatal collisions," said Thomas, in an interview with GuelphToday. "One fatal collision is too many."
Over the same period, Thomas said the OPP has issued 5,299 warnings and 6,544 Highway Traffic offenses – up 38.2 per cent compared to last year.
In Thomas' mind, the increase in charges laid is "a good news story" because it means officers are out on the road doing their jobs.
"Traffic safety is a high priority for the detachment and our officers are out there every day doing what they can to make our roads safe and that includes traffic enforcement...yes, our officers are out there but it also means there are still drivers out there that aren't following the Highway Traffic Act," said Thomas. "So we're doing the best we can to address those issues."
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
