More crashes so far this winter than all of last season: WRPS

It’s already been a winter for the record books in Waterloo Region, and on top of a major increase in snowfall, there’s also been an uptick in crashes.

“We took a look at the number of collisions we had reported throughout the region in the winter months of 2024/2025. Last year, we had approximately 4,300 collisions,” said Traffic Services Inspector Scott Griffiths with the Waterloo Regional Police Service. “Right now, we’re trending at about 4,600.”

The challenging weather conditions this winter have coincided with a road salt shortage, and there’s been some criticism that clearing crews haven’t been acting fast enough.

While on The Mike Farwell Show, Griffiths said there’s no police analysis that shows a connection between the use of road salt and the local increase in collisions. However, the quickly changing weather conditions have certainly played a factor.

“We have very changeable conditions recently, from very clear to five minutes later — we’ve got a snow squall passing through,” said Griffiths.

He said it’s been difficult for both clearing crews and drivers to navigate, but emphasized people need to be aware of that and adjust accordingly.

“Our road crews are working very hard to make sure that the roadways are safe and passable, but it also falls back on our drivers and road users to use appropriate caution when necessary.”