Serious injury, fatal collisions in Calgary at five-year high: police

As Calgarians prepare to hit the road for the long weekend, Calgary police say fatal collisions and serious injuries in the city are at a five-year high.

“I've seen a significant increase in distracted and reckless driving … driving to work, driving around, driving a fixed route, people going 30-40km/h over the speed limit, people disrupting traffic – it's no surprise to me.” One person told CityNews.

According to Calgary police, there were 2,633 collisions involving injuries in 2023, up nearly 200 from the previous year.

Fatal crashes are also on the rise, with police reporting 24 fatal car crashes last year, five more than in 2022 and 10 more than 2021.

Some Calgarians speculate that finishing work at home and then returning to the office may be a contributing factor.

“People are starting to come back to the office because they don't work from home anymore, so there are more roads during the day, the peak traffic times are usually around 7-9am and 3-6pm,” said one person.

Others believe it is due to the increase in inexperienced drivers.

“I think it's mostly experienced drivers – given that Dyfoot is the most used road and that's where most of the collisions happen, at least I see them,” added another. “I think it's more about not being aware of what's going on around them than reckless driving or speeding.”

Sam Ameriadis, owner and operator of ARA Auto Accessories, says the report isn't surprising given the number of surveillance cameras he's sold. He said sales are up 20 percent year over year as people try to protect themselves on the road.

“This category has grown dramatically every year for us over the last decade,” he said. “This year will probably be one of the best years ever for camera sales and installations.”

Ameriadis also says that dash cams are a better way for drivers to protect themselves from liability in the event of a collision, rather than taxis and Ubers becoming mainstream purchases. But people usually buy after a crash.

“Anything from a soccer mom to a single guy who wants to make sure he's included in a sense buys this,” he said. “But we find a lot of times the motivating factor for getting a dash cam is something has happened on the roads and the driver wants a dash cam, so it's situations that make them go out and do some research. then get install”.

Calgary police are working on a mobility plan that they hope will help reduce crashes by 25 percent over the next five years.