Edmonton police are shedding light on a growing, fatal, trend in the city – that has left a dozen people dead in nearly as many weeks, and it appears those numbers have continued to grow as the weather has warmed up.
“Certainly, some of these files have been very unique and unpredictable, but for the most part, there seems to be an absence of fear for our own mortality on Edmonton roads right now,” Sgt. Gary Lamont said in a press release.
Police said there have been 12 traffic-related deaths in 14 weeks in Edmonton, beginning with the first such fatality of the year on Feb. 4.
Since then, police have counted two traffic deaths in February, and in March and in April – followed by another six in May.
However, police said those statistics are not necessarily unusual – Sgt. Lamont said at this time in 2012 14 people had died in traffic collisions.
The tragedies have left traffic investigators with a growing pile of cases, and Sgt. Lamont with the EPS Major Collision Investigation Unit said officers are working all-hours to solve them.
Lamont said it’s up to drivers to ensure they’re driving safely on city streets – and he cited the city’s most recent traffic tragedy as a reminder of what could be lost.
“We all saw the devastation and the pain one family is now dealing with after losing one of their babies over the May-long weekend,” Lamont said. “Each one of us should be taking a moment to reflect on these tragedies and the devastation being unnecessarily wreaked on our community and take steps to change our own individual habits while on the road.”
In addition, Lamont said more enforcement could help, on Thursday police were pulling over a number of drivers throughout the city – in one case; police clocked a motorcyclist travelling at 157 kilometres per hour on Whitemud Drive.
That freeway is an 80 kilometre per hour zone.
Police also said they’re not just concerned about fatal collisions, but crashes that involve traumatic injuries, and pedestrians.
With files from Susan Amerongen
