Traffic deaths in Toronto spike 28% so far this year

Toronto has seen a sharp rise in traffic fatalities this year, with 23 fatal collisions recorded from January through early June — a 28 percent increase from the same period last year.

The surge reflects a troubling trend: more pedestrians and motorcyclists are being killed on city streets. A crash Monday between a car and a parked dump truck in Etobicoke, which killed a 63-year-old man, brought the toll to 23.

Sgt. Murray Campbell of Toronto police's traffic services unit says speed and distracted driving are the main culprits. "A good portion of these fatals were caused by distracted or careless driving — people not paying attention and doing maneuvers that they should not be doing," he said. Fatal collisions have happened across the city — on roadways, in parking lots, and on private property.

The cooler spring weather may have played a role too, with drivers potentially not expecting motorcyclists to be out on roads. Campbell emphasized that driving is a shared responsibility: "Driver awareness, pedestrian awareness, cyclist awareness — it doesn't matter whether you're right or wrong, getting involved in a collision is going to hurt."

Mayor Olivia Chow noted that the province's ban on speed cameras last November removed a tool the city was using to reduce speeding in school and community zones. Jess Spieker, spokesperson for advocacy group Friends and Families for Safe Streets, said the ban has made streets less safe. "Our streets would get a lot less safe for pedestrians, and that seems to be exactly what's happening," she said.

The data underscores how quickly city safety can shift when enforcement tools are removed.