Police warn motorists to be vigilant as more children are on the roadways for March break.
Motorists are being warned to be super vigilant as more children will be on the roadways with March break underway.
Toronto Police Traffic Services officers have launched an Early Spring Traffic Safety Campaign that will see them step up patrols from March 11 to 17 for March break.
“Children represent a large portion of our population and vulnerable road user group,” according to Toronto Police. “We must be mindful of the fact that there will likely be more school-age children on our roads and sidewalks during March break.”
More children are harmed or killed by motorists at this time of the year.
Police said drivers have to be more careful with the start of daylight savings time as our clocks move forward on March 10, resulting in sunrise and sunset being an hour later.
With “the start of daylight savings time means that road users need to be more aware of their surroundings and ensure they are well rested,” police said.
Some 155 people were killed on Toronto roads from 2021 to 2023, according to traffic officers. Of those, 78 were pedestrians and four per cent of the victims were under the age of 18 years.
Children are on bikes, skateboards or just walking around so drivers have to be super careful, police say.
“Many of these pedestrian deaths occurred on wide arterial roads, signalized streets that carry high volumes of traffic, found in every Division,” officers said.
During this time traffic enforcement activities will focus on the “Big 4” driver collision-causing behaviours such as speeding, driving aggressively, driving while distracted, and driving while impaired.
Toronto’s Vision Zero Road Safety Plan acknowledges that collisions are inevitable but that killed and seriously, injured (KSI) collisions are preventable and unacceptable, police said.