Halifax concerned about quality of collision data from police

New data released by Halifax Regional Municipality shows a positive trend in road safety for 2023, with fewer deaths but a slight increase in injuries compared to the previous year. The annual road safety report presented to the transportation committee revealed that there were six fatalities and 785 injuries resulting from 5,527 collisions in 2023. This is a significant improvement from the 11 deaths and 776 injuries recorded in 2022 from 5,257 collisions.

Despite the overall improvement, municipal staff faced challenges in accurately breaking down the severity of injuries due to discrepancies in police reports. Sam Trask, Halifax Regional Municipality’s supervisor of road safety and transportation, acknowledged the delay in releasing data publicly and attributed the inaccuracies to human error in filling out police reports. Trask mentioned that efforts are being made to enhance the quality control measures for future reports and hopes to provide a detailed breakdown of injury severity in the upcoming years.

Collisions involving pedestrians and micromobility users in 2023 were slightly lower than the previous year, indicating a positive trend in road safety for vulnerable road users. However, the breakdown of fatalities by mode of transportation was impacted by the data quality issues, making it challenging for the city to make informed decisions regarding safety improvements.

The city’s road safety plan relies heavily on accurate data to identify areas for safety enhancements and prioritize infrastructure projects. Despite the data quality issues, Roddy MacIntyre, director of traffic and parking management, assured that the total number of collisions and their locations remain accurate. Plans are underway to upgrade intersections with high collision rates, with construction scheduled to begin in the upcoming fiscal year.

To streamline the data analysis process and prioritize projects effectively, Halifax staff are seeking funding for collision analysis software in the upcoming city budget. This investment is expected to have a significant impact on road safety planning and decision-making.

Concerns were raised by councillors regarding the lack of police enforcement around speeding and distracted driving, as the number of summary offence tickets issued by Halifax Regional Police and RCMP decreased significantly in 2023 compared to previous years. Photo radar implementation was suggested as a potential solution, but Halifax must wait for the province to proclaim the Traffic Safety Act before taking any steps forward.

Halifax’s goal of reducing traffic fatalities and injuries to zero by 2038 remains a top priority, and efforts are being made to improve road safety measures and enforcement to achieve this ambitious target. Despite the challenges faced with data quality issues, Halifax is committed to enhancing road safety for all residents and visitors.