TORONTO, May 19, 2026 – York Region said on May 14 that, during Canada Road Safety Week from May 12 to 18, York Regional Police, paramedic services, regional staff, and road safety partners will be carrying out road safety actions with a focus on dangerous driving behaviours such as speeding and distracted driving. York Region has also installed a new speed feedback sign near Bayview Avenue and Crosby Avenue in Richmond Hill, close to a school area. For commuters, families dropping off and picking up children, senior pedestrians, and delivery drivers in Markham, Richmond Hill, and Vaughan, issues such as school-zone speed limits, turning at intersections, and using a phone while driving remain some of the most underestimated daily travel risks.
Road Safety Week is a national traffic safety campaign focused on both enforcement and public education. York Region says this work is also part of its local Vision Zero travel safety plan, which aims to reduce serious collisions over five years.
In York Region, where many Chinese residents live, the risks are not limited to highways. Temporary stopping near schools, rushing during morning and evening peak periods, turning right at intersections without fully checking for pedestrians, and delivery drivers looking at phones while trying to complete orders are all common everyday hazards. For newcomers who have only recently started driving in Canada, school zones, community safety zones, speed limit changes, and parking rules also require special attention.
York Region data shows that more than 90 per cent of pedestrian collisions and 85 per cent of cyclist collisions in the region result in injury or death. More than 70 per cent of these incidents happen at signalized intersections, and about half involve turning vehicles. This means the greatest risk for pedestrians and cyclists often appears not on the roads that look most dangerous, but at the intersections people use most often and know best.
Short-term enforcement and speed feedback boards can remind drivers to slow down, but they cannot solve every road safety problem on their own. Collision risk also depends on road design, visibility at intersections, crossing times for pedestrians, school-area parking arrangements, driving habits, and public feedback. If a certain intersection repeatedly has speeding, turning blind spots, or crossing times that are too short, residents still need to report the exact location, time, and safety concern through York Region or their local municipal traffic safety channels.
For families picking up and dropping off children, the most practical step is to leave a few minutes earlier and avoid stopping illegally, making sudden U-turns, or rushing through intersections near schools. Delivery drivers and commuters should be especially careful not to check phones while driving. Residents with senior family members can also remind them to use signalized crosswalks whenever possible and to make sure turning vehicles have fully stopped before crossing.
The main point of York Region’s road safety campaign is not simply to tell drivers “don’t speed,” but to put the everyday risks around schools, intersections, and routine commutes back in front of residents. Newcomer drivers, parents, delivery workers, and families with seniors should review the speed, parking, and school-zone rules along their own routes. If they notice a location with a long-term danger, they should record the place, time, and specific issue and report it to the appropriate traffic department. (LJI by Yuanyuan)
