Toronto police ticket 477 speeders on day 1 of ‘Speed Kills’ campaign

Toronto Police had a busy day on Monday — the first day of their latest speed enforcement campaign to urge drivers in the city to “slow down.”.

Police tell CityNews they ticketed 477 drivers for speeding on the first day of the ‘Speed Kills’ campaign. There were another 134 charged for aggressive driving and 29 for distracted driving.

The safety blitz is putting a focus on slowing down drivers through enforcement, the campaign lasts until Sunday, Apr. 17.

Police say last year, 60 people were killed on Toronto roads, and so far this year, there’s already been 14 lives cut short.

10 of those 14 people killed this year were pedestrians.

RELATED: Toronto speed cameras have issued hundreds of tickets to municipal employees

“Drivers who speed, drive distracted or aggressively cause collisions — but it’s speed that directly impacts the severity of injury,” police said in a statement.

Police issued 103,758 speeding tickets in 2021 — 948 of those were stunt driving tickets going more than 40 or 50 km/hr over the posted limit.

Of those stunt driving tickets issued, police say 85 per cent of those charged were male, and 61 per cent were between the ages 18 and 34.

Stunt drivers face several reprimands, including a suspension of their driver’s licence, vehicle impounded at their own expense, a fine of up to $10,000, and possible jail time.

That same year, in 2021, police say 78 per cent of all fatal collisions happened on the roads where speed limits were capped at 50 km/hr.

As of the end of March of this year, police say they have given out more than 21,000 speeding tickets and have laid 270 stunt driving charges.

“Speed Kills” Toronto Police Traffic Services media launch event. https://t.co/QFbthzJnbP

— TPS Traffic Services (@TrafficServices) April 11, 2022

Police say the behaviours contributing to the most serious collisions include speeding, distracted driving, and aggressive driving.

“Speed limits are set for a maximum and we are seeing far too many people ignoring these limits,” TPS said.

The campaign will also be supporting the City’s Vision Zero Road Safety Plan, which is focused on reducing traffic-related fatalities and injuries on Toronto streets.

Police say the plan acknowledges collisions are inevitable — but those with fatalities or seriously injured people are preventable.

Each police station, traffic services unit, and Vision Zero Enforcement team will be participating in the campaign this week.