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3 | T h e IF P -H alto n H ills | T hursday,A pril 4,2019 th eifp .ca Halton police had a to- tal of 126 vehicle collisions in 2018, the same number reported in 2017. This was the finding of a summary report on po- lice vehicle collisions, which was presented dur- ing the March 28 meeting of the Halton Regional Po- lice Services Board. The report noted that these 126 collisions result- ed in $323,806 in damage costs and five police vehi- cles being completely written off. These figures are re- markably similar to the figures from 2017, which also saw 126 police vehicle collisions, damage costs of $320,500 and five vehicle write offs. Fewer collisions were reported in the years prior to 2017 with 121 police vehi- cle collisions in 2016 re- sulting in four write offs and $283,074 in damage costs. In 2015 there were 99 po- lice vehicle collisions re- sulting in two write offs and $168,625 in damage costs. The 2018 report classi- fied 48 of the 126 collisions as preventable, which is an improvement over the 73 preventable collisions in 2017, the 66 preventable collisions in 2016 and the 64 preventable collisions in 2015. Last year saw 50 colli- sions classified as nonpre- ventable and 28 collisions where collision damage to a police vehicle was found, but it is unclear when or how it happened. The vast majority of the 2018 preventable collisions (40) resulted from an offi- cer "failing to observe clearances," which means the officer struck a sta- tionary object like a curb, a light standard or parked vehicle. Officers had fewer col- lisions in 2018 resulting from: • an officer following too close (one incident in 2018 compared to nine in 2017) • an officer travelling to fast for conditions (one in- cident in 2018 compared to five in 2017) • an officer failing to yield (one incident in 2018 compared to five in 2017) • an officer improperly backing up (one incident in 2018 compared to six in 2017). Halton police Chief Ste- phen Tanner has previ- ously said there is remedi- al training for officers who are involved in more than one preventable collision. He has also pointed out police vehicles are driven extensively throughout the year. In 2018 Tanner said Hal- ton police vehicles trav- elled a total of 7.4 million kilometres, which is slight- ly less than the 7.7 million kilometres Halton police vehicles travelled in 2017. The report noted patrol vehicles, which represent the majority of the police fleet, are driven 24-7 and average approximately 50,000 km per year. The report also pointed out that of the 126 collisions reported last year, 29 per cent did not incur repair costs because either the damage was deemed to mi- nor or the vehicle was at the end of its life cycle and deemed not cost effective to repair. The report also noted that in 2018 there were 31 incidents involving non- collision related damage to service vehicles with dam- ages totalling $9,986. Of those incidents 32 per cent were minor and did not require repair. Thirteen of these inci- dents involved damage to the vehicle's windshields/ glass while 13 incidents in- volved body/engine/inte- rior/exterior damage. One incident involved damage caused by a pris- oner. This noncollision relat- ed damage was up from 28 incidents reported in 2017, which resulted in total damage costs of $15,435. It was down from the 2016 figures, which saw 48 incidents and damage costs of $14,211. There were 62 incidents of noncollision vehicle damage reported in 2015 resulting in damage costs of $22,436. Halton police said they will continue to review all preventable collisions in an effort to identify causes, trends and strate- gies to improve safety. HALTON POLICE VEHICLES HAD 126 COLLISIONS IN 2018 The number of Halton police vehicle collisions in 2018 remains unchanged from the previous year at 126. Reg Vertolli photo DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com NEWS 48 OF THESE COLLISIONS CLASSIFIED AS PREVENTABLE SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT THEIFP.CA