Erratic driving of motor vehicles is a common occurrence on our streets these days, unfortunately. Drivers are in too much of a hurry and often think only of themselves and not the safety of others around them – especially the most vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. Peel Regional Police has established Road Watch: an online portal through which residents can submit driving complaints and request enforcement.
Do you want to see more police presence and enforcement on our roads? Here’s how.
ACCESS ROAD WATCH HERE
[Then select “Report Online” in the blue box; then choose “Driving Complaint/Road Watch”]
There are two types of requests for enforcement that can be submitted: 1) For a specific incident that you have just witnessed; 2) For more general concerns of a recurring nature, not tied to a specific vehicle or incident.
Specific Incident
For this kind of complaint, you will need to capture as much detail of the incident as possible, including license plate of the offending vehicle, location and time of the incident and the general nature of the offence. Additional descriptors such as make, model and colour of the vehicle is helpful.
Upon receipt of the complaint, the Road Safety Coordinator at Peel Police will send a letter to the owner of the vehicle advising of the complaint and this will be recorded in a database. On a second offence, a second letter is issued. An officer will visit the property where the vehicle is registered and speak to the owner of the vehicle upon a third report. At the same time, if a regular driving routine can be established, Peel Police will patrol the route in an attempt to enforce the law firsthand.
General Driving Behaviour
For this kind of complaint (usually speeding, not stopping, U-Turns, etc.), you will be asked to report the nature of the driving offence(s) and the specific location and general times of day and days of the week you notice this most occurring. For questions related to specific vehicles, choose “Unknown” from the drop down menu in order to continue filling out the form.
Upon receipt of the complaint, the Road Safety Coordinator at Peel Police will schedule one of her road safety platoons for occasional patrols over a two-week period of enforcement as time permits.
Assistance
If you do not have access to the internet, or need help filling out the form, please contact the Road Safety Coordinator directly by calling 905-453-3311 and asking for assistance with the Road Watch form. While our office can and does submit enforcement requests on behalf of residents, Police prefers to communicate directly with the complainant in order to get accurate and sufficient details to properly target enforcement efforts.
If you have any questions about this reporting mechanism, or would like to offer comments or suggestions about it, please contact my office or call the Police non-emergency number 905-453-3311 and speak directly with the Road Safety Coordinator.
