Northumberland OPP will be launching Ontario’s newest collision reporting centre on Monday.
The centre will be located at the OPP’s detachment in Cobourg at 1165 Division St.
This will be the 12th similar centre found at OPP detachments in the Greater Toronto Area and southern Ontario.
Under the Highway Traffic Act, drivers involved in collisions where there are injuries, property damage exceeding $2,000 or damage to highway property, are required to report to police.
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Ontario drivers won’t have to report minor collisions under $2,000 in damage
“Reporting to the collision reporting centre will meet this requirement,” stated Northumberland OPP administrative Sgt. Patrick Toms
Northumberland OPP responded to 2,479 collisions involving property damage between October 2018 and Sept. 30, 2020, which police say consumed a lot of police resources and at times put the people involved in the collisions at greater risk of injury or a secondary collision.
Toms says one goal of the collision reporting centre is to ensure property damage collisions no longer increase traffic congestion and reduce the chance of a more serious collision occurring.
“The Northumberland OPP will continue to offer the same excellent service in responding to collisions that require an officer to attend, however many collisions on Northumberland highways are minor in nature and drivers are able to clear their vehicles quickly and safely off the highway without police assistance,” stated Toms.
“An officer who attends a collision may direct those involved persons to attend the CRC if all the criteria are met.”
The collision reporting centre will be open weekdays 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Saturdays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. It will be closed on Sundays.
“The CRC will provide a more effective use of police resources and allow frontline officers to focus more time on proactive efforts to enhance public safety,” said Toms.
An involved driver at any collision may still request to have an OPP officer attend the scene if the collision has occurred in OPP jurisdiction.
