Edmonton police chief pleads with drivers to slow down after three fatal weekend crashes

After three separate crashes claimed three lives in Edmonton over the weekend, interim police chief Devin Laforce is pleading with city drivers to ease off on their accelerator pedals.
Laforce said that provincial restrictions on photo radar, imposed in April of 2024, have taken away a key tool when it comes to enforcing speed limits. And he doubled down on his call to the province to allow police to seize any vehicle that's been clocked at more than 50 km/h above the posted speed limit.
But he said, in the end, it's up to Edmonton drivers to think about their actions.
'There's no escaping that the lack of tools is no reason for the speeds that we are seeing,' said Laforce. 'People act like it's a free-for-all out there, and it's not. Honestly, a ticket should be the least of your worries. Your own life, and those of others you might impact, should worry you.'
This year to date, 13 people have been killed in Edmonton traffic crashes. At this time last year, there were five. Four of the 13 killed were pedestrians, and three were on motorbikes. On top of that, police have counted 39 serious injuries so far this year due to crashes.
Of the 13 collisions that resulted in 13 deaths, police say speed was a factor in seven of them, including all three fatal crashes over the weekend.
Laforce said that all three crashes over the weekend are still under investigation. One involved a car that's believed to have been travelling at around 200 km/h on 142 Street near 90 Avenue, when the driver lost control and the vehicle hurtled into a tree. Another involved an Escalade believed to have been operating at a high level of speed on 97 Street, then hitting a Honda Civic making a left turn at 165 Avenue. The driver of the Civic, 71, was pronounced dead at hospital. A third incident involved a fast-moving motorcycle that's believed to have moved to the centre line and struck a vehicle that was making a left turn on Winterburn Road.
In the spring of 2024, the province limited the use of photo radar to school and playground zones, and construction sites. It's no longer allowed on provincial highways. Intersection cameras were limited to only being able to enforce red-light runners.
The police make no secret that they'd like more automatic enforcement tools back.
'I think at any time you lose a tool in your tool belt, you're probably going to lose some of your effectiveness,' said Inspector Brad Mandrusiak, who oversees the police's Traffice Services Branch. 'Would we prefer to have it? Yes, we probably would… but it's just one tool in the tool belt and we'll continue what we have to do, and we'll continue to enforce the law.'
'What we're seeing a little bit in Edmonton and I'm sure in other communities out there, is that it's certainly time for our voices to be heard,' said Laforce. 'It (photo radar) is absolutely part of a layered, robust traffic safety plan. And we have automated enforcement at certain intersections, and it's not always about the ticket. In fact, we care less about the ticket, we care less about that revenue stream. I care about driver behaviour.'
Basically, when your Apple Maps or Google Maps app warns you that a red-light camera is at the next intersection, you listen.
And Laforce's comments counter the province's reasoning for restricting photo radar use. Last year, when the changes were made, the province called the use of photo radar a 'cash cow' for municipal governments.
Laforce said he and other Alberta police chiefs hope that the province will allow cops to seize vehicles in cases where the driver was clocked going more than 50 km/hr over the limit.
Edmonton city councillor Michael Janz said that his phone and email were 'blowing up over the weekend' with complaints about street racing and noisy vehicles. Janz said that the province has to give cities more say and flexibility when it comes to controlling traffic.
'There's a lot we can do,' Janz said Monday morning at an event to promote the use of scooters and e-bikes. 'But, at the end of the day, if you do not have enforcement, it's very hard to do those things. We can do traffic calming. We can do neighbourhood street engineering. We can narrow certain roads or put out curb cuts. But when a driver is going 200 in a BMW down 142nd, no amount of money or design change by the City is going to stop that. We need those tools. We can say it's an engineering issue, and we need to rebuild our roads, well, that's going to cost billions of dollars and take decades.
'What the province needs to do is leave this up to municipalities. Municipalities should be able to set their own regulations. The province should say this is up to the cities, this is up to the counties, this is up to the towns.'
'Like a war zone': Three dead since Friday in separate Edmonton speed-related crashes
Man, 71, dies after Friday morning crash with SUV driven by teen in north Edmonton
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