Expect more RIDE checks as police launch traffic safety campaign
Posted Mar 13, 2025 01:54:20 PM.
Last Updated Mar 13, 2025 01:54:57 PM.
With the arrival of spring-like weather comes a reminder from Waterloo Regional Police: the sunshine doesn’t give you an excuse to speed.
The warmer conditions may put you in a good mood but unfortunately, they can also lead to an uptick in bad driving behaviours.
Police will be ramping up traffic enforcement over the next week as they launch an educational campaign that focuses on the fatal four offences.
The “fatal four” are impaired driving, distracted driving, speeding, and failing to wear a seatbelt.
Last year, there were 15 fatal collisions in Waterloo Region which led to 17 deaths. That’s a 50 per cent increase from 2023 when there were 10 fatal crashes.
According to police, 40 per cent of the 15 fatal collisions in 2024 were linked to one or more of the fatal four offences.
The majority of those collisions occured in the cities of Kitchener and Cambridge with four each, while the remaining seven happened through the townships.
“We are committed to improving safety for all road users in Waterloo Region,” Staff Sgt. Scott Griffiths with the Traffic Services Unit said in a release. “But we can’t do it alone. Making our roads safer is a community effort.”
Police will be increasing the number of RIDE checks in Waterloo Region over the course of the campaign, saying road safety is a shared responsibility.
