24 people died in crashes in Hamilton in 2022, an increase of 19 per cent from 2021
Published April 28, 2023 at 9:47 am
There were 19 fatal motor vehicle collisions in Hamilton last year, sadly leaving 24 people dead.
Of the 24 fatalities, six were drivers, six were passengers, 11 were pedestrians and one was a cyclist, according to the Hamilton Police Services 2022 Year End Report – Traffic Statistics presented to the police board yesterday (April 27).
This is a 19 per cent increase over the 16 fatal collisions in the city in 2021.
Crashes increased overall in Hamilton — a total of 9,221 motor vehicle collisions were reported in 2022. This is up from 7,819 in 2021 (18 per cent increase) but it is a two per cent decrease from the five-year average of 9,411.
Hamilton Police suggest lockdowns have resulted in fewer vehicles on the road in last few years.
“The COVID-19 pandemic played a role in the fluctuations as lockdowns reduced traffic on our roadways,” the report notes.
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Non-hazardous violations, such as seatbelt violations, fail to surrender permit, validation tag offences and others — increased 19 per cent from 2021. In 2022, 11,597 violations were issued, compared to 9,725 in 2021.
Police issued 30,229 hazardous moving violations such as driving through a red light, stop sign infractions, speeding, careless, distracted driving offences and others. These offences actually decreased by 22 per cent from the 2021 total of 38,851, the report notes.
And unfortunately, people are still driving impaired.
In 2022, there were 710 alcohol and drug-related driving offences but this was down one per cent from 716 offences in 2021.
There were 165 motor vehicle collisions involving alcohol and/or drugs in 2022 compared to 191 in 2021 (a 14 per cent decrease).
Police laid 74 impaired by drug charges in 2022 compared to 151 in 2021 — a significant 51 per cent decrease.
In 2022, police stopped 83,595 vehicles in the R.I.D.E. program. This represents a decrease of 36 per cent compared to 2021 (130,955).
The Hamilton Police Service (HPS) continues to support the City of Hamilton’s traffic safety “Vision Zero” initiative with the simple goal of zero fatalities and serious injuries, the report notes.
And to tackle this goal, police are targeting the most dangerous drivers.
“Speeding, aggressive driving, impaired driving and distracted driving continue to be the most significant concerns for the HPS as they relate to road safety,” the report notes.
See the complete Hamilton Police Services 2022 Year End Report Traffic Statistics here.
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