Spike in vehicle collisions in Sudbury due to weather and human error

Greater Sudbury police say the number of car crashes in a recent two week period skyrocketed.

According to the service, there were 382 reported collisions between January 22 and February 5.

Sgt. Tim Burtt, supervisor of the traffic unit, compares the numbers to the entire month of January 2018.

"Those numbers are quite concerning when you look at it over a period of time," he said. "We've gone from 300 a month when looking at previous years to 400 in two weeks."

Burtt says wintry weather, including ice pellets, correlates with a noticeable rise in collisions from Jan. 28 to Feb. 1, but drivers can't blame weather conditions entirely.

He says drivers have to adjust for conditions and it doesn't seem that they doing that this season.​

"So we're three months into it and we're still seeing the collisions elevated," he said.

"I'm not sure if it's people are still not adapting to the road conditions or the weather conditions."

The increase in collisions means an increase in business for service centres.

Dan Mallette is the manager of the collision centre at Cambrian Ford.

He says so many people are asking for service, he's booking customers into the second week of March.

He says while nothing could have prepared them for the sudden increase in vehicle collisions, he says a shortage of skilled trades people is also a factor in getting through the backlog.

Waiting for a rental

Mallette says drivers with minor damage will be able to get around.

"But the ones, their vehicles aren't drivable, they do get a little worried because sometimes the insurance companies do have limits on how long they can be in their rentals for," he said.

Just getting a rental may be challenging as people line-up for alternative transportation as at least two major rental agencies in the city have waiting lists.

With more winter weather in store, Sgt. Burtt says people need to slow down, maintain space between vehicles and keep their eyes on the road, or they could find themselves in a literal jam for getting around.