SURREY RCMP are deploying their newest recruits city-wide in an effort to target dangerous driving – and they’re reminding motorists to ‘cut out’ their unsafe driving habits.
These ‘Mountie Cut Outs’ will be set up at intersections and roadways around the city that have been identified as high risk for collisions and unsafe driving behaviours. Their mission: to maintain an overt presence and remind drivers to follow the rules of the road.
“Yes, these may be just two-dimensional versions of our frontline members and marked police vehicles, but we are warning drivers that our ‘Mountie Cut Outs’ may just have a real-life partner nearby,” warned Sgt. Ian MacLellan, Surrey RCMP’s Acting Traffic Services Commander, on Wednesday. “Our aim is to reduce the number of serious injuries and fatalities on Surrey’s roadways through education and enforcement.”
Surrey RCMP worked in close partnership with Vision Zero Surrey and ICBC to not only develop this initiative, but to identify high-risk driving locations and then target those locations with enforcement projects. Vision Zero Surrey will deploy data collection devices at those high-risk driving locations and the data will be used to assess the impact of the ongoing enforcement project.
“High-risk driving is a key focus area for Vision Zero Surrey,” said Shabnem Afzal, City of Surrey Road Safety Manager and Vision Zero Surrey Lead. “In Surrey, high-risk driving behaviours such as speeding, distracted driving and impaired driving contribute to approximately two-thirds of serious and fatal collisions. Through our ongoing collaborative efforts as Vision Zero Surrey partners, we are committed to reducing this number and increasing safe, healthy and equitable mobility for all road users.”
The public are encouraged to continue to report any dangerous driving they witness in the community by contacting the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or 911 in an emergency.