Starting this fall, Wellington County motorists involved in minor collisions where no one is injured will be directed to the OPP detachment in Fergus, as opposed to being attended to by an officer at the side of the road.
A collision reporting centre is tentatively scheduled to open at the Centre Wellington location in October, the OPP announced in a September report to the county police services board.
“There’s always a risk to having people on the roadside,” Inspector Paul Richardson said in an interview following Thursday’s county council meeting. “If we can get them off the roadside as quickly as possible and get them to our office, they’re safer in the process.”
Richardson said the move will also increase efficiency from the police service’s perspective.
“In using the collision reporting centre, it frees up officers’ time, so they’re available for other duties, other investigations, other traffic enforcement,” he said.
Richardson explained by law, people are required to report accidents involving property damage over $2,000 or personal injury.
“If it’s a personal injury collision, that’s something we will definitely attend as police,” he said. “If it’s a property damage collision and the vehicles are drivable or can be removed quickly, we’re going to get them off the roadside and do the paperwork in a different location."
No new infrastructure or budget will be required to open and operate the collision reporting centre.
For now, the new centre in Fergus will serve the entire county from its central location. After evaluating its success, the OPP may also expand it to detachments in the north and south, Richardson said.
