Road Safety Week a reminder to travel with care

Strathcona County is reminding drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians to watch out for each other and share the road safely. 

During Canada’s Road Safety Week, May 17 to 23, 2022, Strathcona County’s enforcement teams will be focusing on safe road habits. All road users are reminded to pay extra attention to factors that affect safety, including; impaired driving, distracted driving, recreational trailer safety, vehicle speed, bicycle and motorcycle safety.  

“As we transition into spring and summer, many people are re-familiarizing themselves with sharing the road with bicycles, motorcycles and recreational trailers,” says Tom Sutton, director of RCMP and Enforcement Services. “We all have a responsibility to safely share the roadways through care and attention to our surroundings and each other.” 

Strathcona County’s Traffic Safety Advisory Committee identified distraction and education as the priority topics to address with the community for Road Safety Week. Further, residents participating in the latest annual policing priorities survey identified traffic safety as one of their top policing priorities. 

In 2021, there were 1,226 collisions: including five fatalities and 10 hospitalizations due to collisions in Strathcona County, including provincial highways. In 2021, County Peace Officers issued 1,085 violation tickets for distracted driving, 5,815 violations for speeding and 289 commercial vehicle safety violations.

Distracted driving is any activity that removes driver focus off the road. The fine for distracted driving in Alberta is $300 and three demerits. Alberta’s distracted driving law restricts drivers from the following while driving: 

• Using hand-held cellphones 
• Texting or e-mailing 
• Using electronic devices like laptop computers, video games, cameras, video entertainment displays, and programming portable audio players (e.g., iPod) 
• Entering information on GPS units 
• Reading printed materials in the vehicle 
• Writing, printing or sketching 
• Personal grooming 

Think hands-free is safe? Think again. While it is difficult to quantify the impact of distracted driving, distraction is generally responsible for a greater percentage of road fatalities than impaired driving in Canada. 

Remember to keep your pet as a back seat rider. For the safety of both pets and road users, pets should be secured in the back of a vehicle in a carrier or with a seatbelt.   If your pet is deemed to be impeding the safe operation of the vehicle, the driver could be subject to a fine under Alberta’s Traffic Safety Act.

For more information, visit strathcona.ca/TrafficSafety. 

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Contact: Strathcona County Communications, 780-410-6595