A Traffic Safety Plan is expected to be released in September, the Chief told the media at the monthly Police Board Meeting held at North Bay City Police Headquarters today.
The initiative is being spearheaded by Deputy Chief Scott Tod and was announced back in May shortly after an elderly couple perished in a collision on Algonquin avenue in early May.
Chief Shawn Devine says they will sit down and look at traffic issues and put a plan together that will also include public input.
“We could be looking for some community involvement where our concerns or where our citizens believe more enforcement is required,” said Devine.
“It’s also going to touch on public awareness and public education.”
Devine says the community can’t expect enforcement as the only way to solve the problem and make the roads safer.
“It involves education with the public with regards to distracted driving, impaired driving and speeding. That’s why we are calling it a community safety plan with regards to traffic.”
Devine believes that education will include engaging youth.
“What we need to do is start with our children and encourage our children to remind their parents that they see doing it, again the figure is out there that distracted driving is more serious than impaired driving right now as far as death’s related to that,” he said.
“I think if we start with our young generation we are doing both, encouraging the adults to follow the lead of young people or turn off your device or wait until you are stopped.”
Devine released April statistics which showed 106 of the more than 2500 calls were related to accidents that month, with 12 of those accidents involving 14 people who were injured.
