Traffic collisions spike as city deploys AI to spot danger zones

Major traffic collisions were up in Calgary in almost every category last year, with the city now turning to artificial intelligence to identify which intersections pose the greatest risk before more collisions occur.

The city's mobility team reported to council's community development committee this week that 27,609 vehicle collisions were reported in 2025, with 3,227 resulting in injuries. That's up from nearly 26,000 collisions and 2,908 injuries in 2024. Of those injured, 643 people were hospitalized—a 13 per cent year-over-year increase—and 38 collision victims were killed, marking a 31 per cent increase in fatalities from 2024.

Pedestrians accounted for 40 per cent of Calgary's fatal collisions in 2025, the highest of all categories. There were 121 major collisions involving pedestrians, eight per cent more than 2024, and 15 pedestrian fatalities, two more than the previous year. Road departure collisions, including head-on, off-road and struck-object collisions, accounted for 32 per cent of the total. Motorcycle crashes were the only category down, declining 17 per cent compared to 2024.

The five-year safer mobility plan, a partnership with Calgary Police Service, aims for a 25 per cent year-over-year reduction in fatal and severe injury collisions by 2028. However, the city is trending in the opposite direction. Surendra Mishra, a traffic engineer for the city's Mobility Traffic Safety team, told council that these injuries and fatalities are not just numbers. "Every number represents a Calgarian, and families and communities are affected by these tragedies that have far-reaching consequences on our society." So far this year, more than 9,000 collisions have been reported in the first four months, along with more than 900 injuries and 12 fatalities.