A NEW WAY TO REPORT AGGRESSIVE DRIVING

This blog was originally posted on OTLA's websiteand is being posted with permission.

We've all seen those drivers - the ones who tailgate, who weave in and out of traffic, and the ones that treat the 401 as if it's a set piece from a Fast and Furious film. These dangerous and aggressive drivers are a problem for all of us. Most of the time we shake our heads as they speed past us, assuming that there is really nothing that we can do about the situation. The problem tends to intensify in the summer months once the snow and ice are gone and some drivers feel more at ease to take risks on the roadway.

While driving home last Tuesday evening, I happened to a catch a segment on News-talk 1010's The Night Side with Barb DiGiulio ( @BarbDGtoronto) with respect to dangerous and aggressive driving that I thought was worthy of sharing. The show featured Sgt. Chris Boddy ( @TPSChrisBoddy) and Inspector Myron Demkiw (@InspectorDemkiw) of the Toronto Police Service. They outlined a program of the Toronto Police Service where one can report non-emergency, aggressive driving incidents online: the Online Traffic Complaint webpage.

The police will take the complaint submission, review it, and if warranted, will send a letter to the registered owner of the vehicle that describes the date and time of the incident and encouraging the owner to ensure that their vehicle is driven in a responsible manner.

It's an interesting program to encourage safe driving and while it may not necessarily deter the most aggressive drivers, it will very likely cause some to re-evaluate their driving practices. Furthermore, I suspect that it would have a significant impact in households where parents get such a letter about their teen's driving habits.

All of us have a responsibility to keep our roads safe - this initiative by the Toronto Police Service is one more tool that we can use to see safer roads this summer!

REFERENCES:

http://otlablog.com/a-new-way-to-report-aggressive-driving/