The Ottawa Police are taking a different approach to fender-benders that will mean more officers for front-line emergencies.
The first of three Collision Reporting Centres (CRC) officially opened this week on Huntmar Drive.
“We're going to be taking approximately 8-thousand calls for service off the road,” says Acting-Inspector Sandra McLaren.
McLaren says that means about 70 per cent of all collisions will go to the centres. Currently, people involved in minor collisions with no injuries have to wait an average 32 minutes for police to arrive on the scene. They also have to wait more than an hour more for police to complete their report.
Now, the Ottawa Police non-emergency line will determine whether drivers should be sent to an CRC. Once there, both parties will fill out a form and have the damage to their vehicles assessed using four high-resolution cameras. An officer will then make a determination of the cause and finalize the report.
“We have that information, the motorists have that information, and the insurers as well,” says McLaren.
The automatic subscription of reports to insurance companies is expected to bring in about $1.6 million a year.
The new system will also offer the convenience of a 24-hour grace period for motorists to report to the CRC.
Two more CRCs will be opened on Elgin St. Downtown and Tenth Line Rd. in Orleans by the end of the year.
With a report from CTV’s John Hua
