Involved in a crash in Edmonton? You'll no longer report it to EPS
Starting Thursday, if you’re involved in a collision in Edmonton, you’ll no longer report it to the Edmonton Police Service. Instead, drivers will go to one of two private collision reporting centres run by Accident Support Services International (ASSI).
Officials say the change will be more efficient, and there will be no extra cost to taxpayers.
“This has been a long time coming actually, 17 years,” said Edmonton Police Service Chief Dale McFee at a press conference on Thursday.
“It will improve road safety by removing collisions from the roadside faster, it will provide motorists with an enhanced service, and certainly better customer service, and ASSI’s record management system will help us better identify the trends and route causes driving safety issues on our streets.”
Upon arrival at one of the centres, drivers will fill out their report at a kiosk.
Accident Support Services International collision reporting centre in Edmonton.
The report will include photos of the damage to prevent fraud, and will be sent to the insurance company.
The bill for the centres will be paid by insurance companies.
“We put a file together, we send it to them, and they pay us per file. And that’s how we subsidize this whole program,” said Steve Sanderson, ASSI president. “So it’s no cost to the public, it’s no cost to the police, there’s no cost to the municipality.”
The program is already running in smaller Alberta municipalities like Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, and Medicine Hat.
“We’ve been partnered with them for a long time and it has worked so well,” said Mercida Holstein, AMA Insurance claims manager. “What it means for us is - as they said - great customer service because we’re getting our police reports much more quickly than we would.”
Accident Support Services International collision reporting centre in Edmonton.
Police say there are about 34,000 crashes on Edmonton roads annually.
There will be about 10 officers at each ASSI centre to look over reports, but officials say privatizing the reporting will free up other officers to deal with more important issues.
“The public has consistently voiced their want to see their police service use its resources more efficiently,” McFee said.
The centres are located at 15750 116 Avenue and 5805 87A Street.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Houston braces for flooding to worsen in wake of storms
High waters flooded neighborhoods around Houston on Saturday following heavy rains that have already resulted in crews rescuing hundreds of people from homes, rooftops and roads engulfed in murky water.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
The UN warns Sudan's warring parties that Darfur risks starvation and death if aid isn't allowed in
The United Nations food agency warned Sudan's warring parties Friday that there is a serious risk of widespread starvation and death in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan if they don't allow humanitarian aid into the vast western region.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.