Waterloo Regional Police are urging drivers to limit distractions in their vehicle in hopes of improving safety on the roads. According to Staff Sgt. Scott Metcalfe of the Traffic Services Unit, there were seven fatal collisions on regional roads in the first half of the year. Two of those involved pedestrians. On June 3, a pedestrian was killed in a crash involving a truck at the intersection of University Ave. East and Marsland Dr. in Waterloo. Then, on June 28, a 62-year-old woman was killed when she was hit by a jeep at the intersection of Victoria St. North and Frederick St. in Kitchener. Police said charges are anticipated in both those incidents. While Metcalfe did not get into specifics of the investigations, he told CTV News that distracted driving is a major component of road safety. “Not just in the traditional about using a cell phone while you’re driving, but also just limiting the distractions that you have in the cab of your vehicle,” he said. Metcalfe also noted that, while eating behind the wheel is not illegal, it can limit a driver’s ability to pay attention to the road. He also shared some safety suggestions for pedestrians. “My recommendation for pedestrians would be to make eye contact with drivers when they’re going across crosswalks or going across driveways that are exiting from businesses or private residences.” Metcalfe said Waterloo Regional Police continue to focus on the four main factors that contribute to vehicle collisions: speeding and aggressive driving, distracted driving, lack of seatbelts, and impaired driving.
