Ottawa police have targeted tailgating and pedestrian safety as the focuses of its Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) next month.
In 2008, one-third of the 30 traffic fatalities in Ottawa involved pedestrians.
In addition, 333 other pedestrians were injured in traffic collisions. This initiative is part of a larger summer-long pedestrian safety public awareness and enforcement campaign called Walk Like Your Life Depends On It.
In 2008, tailgating caused 4,808 rear-end collisions — the most frequent type of collision in Ottawa accounting for nearly one-third of the city’s total collisions. These collisions resulted in one death and 1,449 injuries — 15 of them life-threatening.
In 2003, two city departments — Public Works and Ottawa Public Health — in conjunction with Ottawa police, developed the Integrated Road Safety Program with a goal of reducing traffic fatalities or serious injuries by 30 per cent by 2010.
