BRANTFORD POLICE SERVICE

Brantford Police Service participates in the province-wide Drive Safe! Campaign

The 2013 Drive Safe! R.I.D.E traffic safety campaign is a province-wide public education campaign that will focus on road and rail safety issues.

Police Services across Canada are participating in the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) traffic safety campaign. This initiative will bring awareness to the “Big 4” killers on our roads; Impaired operation by alcohol or drug, failure or improper use of seatbelts, aggressive driving and distracted driving.

Railway lines and crossings are part of many communities across Ontario. Ensuring the safe movement of goods and passengers and protecting drivers and pedestrians around railway lines and crossings is extremely important. By taking simple precautions, motorists and pedestrians can avoid dangerous situations. That’s why the OACP is focusing on rail and road safety during our 2013 Drive Safe! Campaign. There have already been 13 accidents during 2013 in Ontario related to railways and railway crossings, resulting in three deaths and one case of serious injury.

Vehicle driver error is the main contributor to train-vehicle collisions. That’s why throughout this year, the Brantford Police Service will be interacting with the public at R.I.D.E. stops and during various traffic-safety events to raise public awareness of rail and road safety.

The Brantford Police Service has had one collision incident in 2013 involving a motor vehicle and a train. On April 25, 2013 shortly before 1:00 a.m. a vehicle was abandoned on the railway tracks in the area near Lyons Avenue and Ridgewood Avenue. A 27 year old Brantford man had exited the vehicle on the tracks and was walking away from the vehicle when a train struck the unoccupied vehicle.  It is important to note that a train CANNOT stop quickly. An average freight train travelling at 100 km/h requires about 2 km to stop, and a passenger train travelling at 160 km/h requires about the same distance to stop. One can compare this to an automobile travelling at 90 km/h which requires about 60 metres to stop. 

This campaign is made possible through the support of a number of partners: VIA Rail Canada, Roy Speed & Ross/Globali.com, Canadian Tire, Smart Serve Ontario, Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council, Accident Support Services International, Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club, the Government of Ontario, Liquor Control Board of Ontario, Trillium Automobile Dealers Association, Canpar, Canadian Energy Pipeline Association, Labatt Brewing Company, and Alcohol Countermeasures Systems.

The Brantford Police Service is committed to working together to ensure the safety of all of our citizens.