It seems some drivers still aren’t getting the message that distracted driving and speeding are deadly habits, said provincial police.
The Ontario Provincial Police has reported significant increases in speed-related and distracted driving related deaths on provincial highways.
In 2021, 58 people lost their lives in distracted driving crashes, a 29 per cent increase from the previous year when 45 people were killed, said Sgt. Carlo Berardi.
In the northeast region, the OPP said eight people were killed in distracted driving crashes, up from seven the year prior, said Berardi.
While the province as a whole has seen a 31 per cent increase in speed related deaths, from 62 in 2020 to 81 in 2021, the northeast region has fared better. Speed related deaths decreased from 13 in 2020 to six in 2021.
Across Ontario, provincial police responded to 288 fatal collisions in 2021. That number increased by one per cent from 284 in 2020.
As a result of those collisions, 315 people were killed on provincial highways in 2021, up four per cent from the previous year when 304 people lost their lives.
The OPP reported a substantial decrease in fatalities due to impaired driving, down 46 per cent from 57 in 2020 to 31 in 2021.
It was a similar scenario in the northeast, where two people were killed in impaired driving crashes in 2021, while there were four such deaths in 2021, said Berardi.
Provincially, there was also a marked decrease in the number of people killed because they weren’t wearing a seatbelt. That saw a 16 per cent drop, from 57 in 2020 to 48 in 2021.
In the northeast, there was also a drop. Seatbelt related deaths dropped from nine in 2020 to four in 2021.
“It’s difficult to attribute any cause, because the numbers fluctuate regularly for any number of reasons,” said Berardi. “We hope through education and enforcement, we can reduce the number of fatalities, collisions and property damage. These are deaths that are very preventable, if only everyone would wear the proper equipment and not drive impaired."
Overall, in the northeast region, the OPP responded to 31 fatal collisions in 2021, down from 33 fatal crashes in 2020.
A total of 36 people were killed in 2021, also down from 38 people who lost their lives in 2020.
Provincial police also reported marine fatalities.
The OPP responded to 23 fatal marine incidents last year, which took 27 lives and marked a 16-per-cent decrease in fatalities over 2020.
The majority (24) of the deceased were not wearing a life jacket.
With capsized vessels and falling overboard cited as the primary causes in all but four of the fatalities, the data speaks to the critical role of a properly worn life jacket when boating or paddling, said the OPP. Almost half of the vessels involved in the incidents were non-motorized (e.g. canoe, kayak, stand up paddle board).
On the trails, 22 people died in off-road vehicle incidents last year, down marginally from 2020. Alcohol/drugs were a factor in just over one third of the fatalities. Only half of those who died were wearing a helmet, said the OPP.
The northeast region stretches from White River and Hornepayne in the west, to Mattawa in the east, to James Bay in the North and Parry Sound in the south, said Berardi.
By the numbers
- Collisions were up eight per cent in 2021 over the previous year, with OPP officers responding to 60,544 road crashes.
- Collisions involving commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) were also up, with 7,215 crashes marking a 17 per cent increase. The OPP also saw a 26 per cent increase in CMV collisions that resulted in fatalities in 2021, with 72 people losing their lives in these crashes.
- Motorcycle fatalities were down 17 per cent, with 35 people losing their lives last year.