It is the end of daylight savings time (DST) and as the clocks go back on Sunday, November 6, 2022, there will be fewer daylight hours resulting in reduced visibility for all road users.

Historically there has been a 100% increase in pedestrian related collisions occurring between 5:00PM and 8:00PM, and a 400% increase between 7:00AM and 8:00AM in the months following the time change.

The Toronto Police Service is launching a safety campaign, ‘Stay Focused, Stay Safe’, commencing Monday, October 31, 2022, and concluding on Sunday, November 13, 2022.

The first week, October 31 – November 6, Traffic Services will be creating opportunities through social media to discuss the daily risks taken each day by road users, with a focus on DST.

The second week, November 7- November 13, will focus on “The Big 4” driver behaviours known to cause injuries to our road users: speeding, aggressive driving, distracted driving and impaired driving.

Year to date, 44 people have been killed on Toronto’s roads, 21 of whom were pedestrians. Of those, 70% were under 65 years of age. Many of these pedestrian deaths happened on arterial roads, which are wide signalized streets that carry a high volume of traffic.

When visibility is reduced, motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and all other road users are asked to consider the following safety tips:

• Give yourself extra time to get to your destination
• Drive within the speed limit and adjust according to the conditions
• Expect the unexpected, use extra caution when turning in signalized and non-signalized intersections
• Be sure your vehicle is in good working order and drive with your full lighting system on
• Remain vigilant of your surroundings and be aware of other road users

Toronto’s Vision Zero Road Safety Plan acknowledges that collisions are inevitable but that killed and seriously injured (KSI) collisions are preventable and unacceptable. Zero injuries and deaths on our roads is the number that we all should be working towards.

For more information regarding the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan, please watch the video below: