As part of their yearly public outreach plan, rural and municipal police services across Canada are raising awareness about the hazards of road travel.
“It’s kind of staggering how many fatalities we see every year, but not as staggering as I’d expect,” said Constable Larry Boggs, O.P.P. “I know we’re more capable than the reports indicate. If we’re going to beat these numbers, we really need Canadians nationwide to decide to work harder. I mean, really focus.”
“Rain or snow, the numbers are poor.” added Winnipeg Police Services Sgt. Dean Burke. “In 1990, there were about 4,000 fatalities each year in Canada. We’re seeing only about 2,100 a year now. With an increasing population, I’d expect 50 percent more, not less. I’m disappointed. It’s just unacceptable.”
“People are drinking less but texting more, so I haven’t observed much change overall… and there’s the danger, I think,” said Officer Paul Brandt of the Vancouver Police Department. “We’re complacent about accidents, in my opinion. Stuck in a mediocrity loop; we have to ask ourselves: are we satisfied with these statistics? Is this really the best we can do? If we have any national pride, this would be a prime example of a situation where it would be good to look down at our neighbours to the south and say: ‘Are those their numbers? Sure, we can outdo them.’ We’ve got more than enough liquour, limited attention span and questionable judgement on this side of the border.”