The number of crashes reported to police in Chatham-Kent last year went through the roof compared to previous years.
The Chatham-Kent Police Community Patrol Branch showed in their 2022 annual report that reported collisions last year increased by 242 from 1,685 in 2021 to 1,927.
Eleven of them were fatal, which was one more than the previous year and 933 were for property damage, a jump of 33 from 2021. Six of the fatal crashes involved impaired drivers, according to police, and eight of the crashes resulted in a total of 35 charges.
Police said the months of November and December had the most collisions. Fridays and the 3 p.m. time frame were also the busiest time for crashes in Chatham-Kent.
Police noted the most dangerous intersections for crashes are in Chatham.
The intersection of Keil Drive and Richmond Street topped the list with 14 collisions, followed by Lacroix Street and Park Avenue West and then Grand Avenue and Keil Drive North, both with 11. Rounding out the top 10 list are; Grand Avenue West and St. Clair Street, Keil Drive and Riverview Drive, Grand Avenue and Lacroix, King Street West and Lacroix, Park Avenue East and Queen Street, McNaughton Avenue East and Victoria Avenue, and McNaughton and St. Clair.
Meanwhile, there was a decrease in field sobriety tests and the use of drug recognition enforcement. Police said 26 field sobriety tests were conducted last year, a decline of 32 per cent from 2021 and the use of drug recognition officers dropped by 72 per cent.
The number of RIDE checks also decreased in 2022 from 35 the previous year to 30, but the number of vehicles stopped jumped by approximately 1,880 to 6,089. The annual report also showed one criminal charge and one drunk driving charge during those stops along with 13 three-day licence suspensions.
Police have also started using a new speed monitoring device to catch speeders. Authorities reported the "Black Cat" device was used at 15 locations for a week at a time during the Spring of 2022 and monitored more than 244,000 vehicles. Police added the device was so useful, a second device will be purchased this year. The device is mounted on a pole and monitors speed in both directions.
"This technology is exceptionally useful in assessing speeding complaints," said police. "The report it generates provides information about compliance rates and times of day and days of the week where enforcement would be most beneficial."
The use of police drones has also increased. Police said drones were deployed 102 times last year for criminal investigations, vehicle crashes, and missing persons, an increase of 121 per cent over the 46 drone deployments in 2021.
