Recognized for their efforts to ensure the safety of Toronto’s streets is a traffic enforcement team that focuses on the driving habits that lead to the most serious collisions.
The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) Traffic Safety Excellence Award for this year has been given to the Toronto Police Service 2022 Vision Zero Enforcement Team (VZET).
The award, according to TSV Unit Commander Inspector Matt Moyer, is a significant acknowledgement of the dedication to preventing traffic fatalities and injuries in Toronto.
He stated, “It shows Toronto residents that we have their backs when it comes to addressing the Big Four offenses of speeding, distracted driving, aggressive driving, and drunk driving.” The group exceeded all expectations and I am so pleased with them and the work they do everyday.”
In 2022, a VZET officer issued more than one in five Service tickets.
The VZET was created by the Service in late 2020 to meet the growing demands from communities all over the city for increased road safety and to support the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan that the City of Toronto adopted.
The Traffic Services sergeants Clint Stibbe and Brett Moore led the development of the plan.
Moore stated, “Our officers put in a lot of hard work every day, put in a lot of hours, and issue a lot of tickets.” The work we do to make roads safer is acknowledged by this award.
The team consists of 10 unmarked vehicles and consists of 16 Constables in addition to Moore and Stibbe.
Moore described the team of officers, stating, “They volunteer for these spots and they enjoy their work.”
The team focuses on stopping the driving habits that cause the most serious collisions in the city.
They use statistical data to create a deployment schedule that covers all of Toronto’s communities and focuses on areas with more traffic problems because they are a data-driven group.
According to Stibbe, “the analytics are very useful, especially when it comes to stunt driving, impaired driving, seat belt-related offenses, and aggressive driving.” Along with those, distracted driving is still a major issue for the city, and our team continues to work every day to make the roads safer.
The VZET has issued 93,137 tickets since its inception.
The team issued: in 2022.
- 40,987 tickets (22 per cent of all Highway Traffic Act tickets issued service-wide)
- 26,227 speeding tickets
- 524 stunt-driving charges (resulting in 7,336 days of immediate vehicle impoundments and 15,270 days of driving license suspensions)
- 3,896 distracted driving related charges were laid (39% of all TPS)
In addition to their regular enforcement, VZET is involved with other provincial, municipal and TPS projects targeting community and complaint-driven traffic issues.
