In our previous post, we asked this question:
How often should you clean your roof’s gutters?

Answer:

To prolong the life of your roof and gutter system, they should be cleaned twice a year—once at the beginning of fall, and once at the beginning of spring!

Did you know the answer?

Now for this post’s question!

Did the number of collisions between cars and cyclists increase or decrease over the past few years in Waterloo region?

Check back for the answer in our next post!

You’re a careful driver, right? It’s all those other people on the road that worry you! And a new list by Waterloo Region staff suggests you have every right to be worried, especially if you regularly travel any of the top 10 worst intersections on their list of collision locations for 2013.

The intersection with the highest number of collisions and most severe collisions between 2009 and 2013 is Homer Watson Boulevard and Ottawa Street South, thanks to the four lanes on each side of the intersection and the high volume of traffic that moves through it.

According to the 2013 collision report from the Region of Waterloo, these were the top 10 most collision-prone intersections in KW, notably all from Cambridge and Kitchener:

1. Ottawa Street South at Homer Watson Boulevard in Kitchener
2. Franklin Boulevard at Can-Amera Parkway in Cambridge
3. Homer Watson Boulevard at Manitou Drive/Doon Village Road in Kitchener
4. Franklin Boulevard at Elgin Street/Saginaw Parkway in Cambridge
5. Franklin Boulevard at Pinebush Road in Cambridge
6. Ottawa Street at Fischer-Hallman Road in Kitchener
7. King Street at Fountain Street in Cambridge
8. Hespeler Road at Bishop Street in Cambridge
9. Ottawa Street at Westmount Road in Kitchener
10. Franklin Boulevard between Clyde Road (Samuelson Street) and Savage Drive in Cambridge

For a list of the ten intersections with the highest collision rates between 2009-2013, please click through to the original article which reported these numbers. Notably, that number one intersection remained the same, with 224 collisions over five years. And that’s just from one intersection! Surprising, isn’t it?

According to the Region, the data from these lists will be used to determine which intersections in the region require immediate and/or the most attention. There has been some concern raised by the public, however, that intersection “improvements” may mean an increased number of roundabouts as a long-term solution. However, even the Homer Watson and Block Line roundabout had 72 reported collisions in 2013—when the experts had predicted only 22!

It’s important to note that all of these collision statistics include minor collisions as well, so these are not all fatalities—but there has been an increase in injuries and the number of reported collisions on regional roads in general.

What’s a person to do with this kind of information?

Rather than become panicked or fearful about driving, these types of statistics are a good reminder that not everyone is paying full attention while driving—there are still many distracted drivers on the roads, and many others who are not as well trained as they should be.

If you want to ensure that your insurance premium doesn’t increase and that your expenses on your vehicle remain manageable, take extra caution when approaching these problematic intersections, and be fully aware of your surroundings. Perhaps pass on this knowledge to other drivers you know!

Together, we can all make the roads a little bit safer, one “worst” intersection at a time.