Double-digit increases and decreases reported in the 2023 Collision Report for Whitecourt

Each year, the RCMP provides the Town of Whitecourt with data on collisions within the
municipality. Data is supplied monthly and then compiled by the Planning and Development
Department into a report Whitecourt Town Council receives in the first half of the following year.
During the June 21 Regular Meeting, Council received the report for 2023.
Compiled data splits into five categories: Highway 43 Corridor, Town Intersections, Town
Streets, Private Property/Parking Lots and Unknown Locations. From this separation, Town staff
can identify collision trends or areas of concern, such as more accidents happening at one time
of day or one location versus another, triggering further analysis to see if change is needed
at/on any of the Town’s roads and intersections.
Though detailed, the one piece not collected within the RCMP data is the hows and whys of
each accident. No columns highlight if speed or road conditions were factors or if a driver was
impaired. The data sticks to location, type, and whether injuries or deaths occurred. Alberta
Transportation also provides its annual traffic count, giving staff a view of the traffic volumes
along Highway 43 in the spring and summer months.
Six years of data, from 2018 to 2023, were provided in the report. For 2023, there were 176
collisions across the board, which sits in the middle compared to previous years. There were
232 overall collisions in 2018, 231 in 2019, 157 in 2020, 173 in 2021 and 183 overall collisions
in 2022.
Breaking it down further, Private Property/Parking Lots held a majority of those collisions with 57
(32 percent), with Town Intersections in second with 42 collisions reported (24 percent) and
Town Streets third with 40 collisions (23 percent). Highway 43 Corridor collisions came in
second last, with 20 percent of the pie and 35 collisions. Unknown Locations, such as someone
struck and not immediately noticing it, totalled one percent, with two collisions.
From those 176 collisions in Whitecourt in 2023, there were zero fatalities. There were three
fatalities in 2022, the highest of the six comparison years. In 2018 and 2019, there was one
fatality each year, while 2020, 2021 and 2023 had none. Non-Fatal Injury rose by one incident
from last year, from 22 to 23. Both 2022 and 2023 were the highest years compared.
The report, in the meeting’s agenda package, showed an average of 15 collisions per month
last year, with August being the highest with 20. September and December tied for second
place with 19 collisions each. “This is comparable to 2022, where the monthly average was also
15, but this is the first time in over a decade where there have been more collisions during the
spring/summer months (94) than in the fall/winter months (85),” read the report.
Most accidents in Whitecourt fall under the category of Property Damage-Reportable. Last year,
there were 113 collisions. Compared to 2022, it was lower by six and was the second lowest
when compared against numbers from 2018, 2019, and 2020. Property Damage-Non-
Reportable rose last year, with 22 collisions, the highest of all six years compared.
The final two charts in the report were the types of collisions and where they took place. The
RCMP classified the types of collisions into seven categories: Hit and Runs, Backing Up, Rear-
Ended, Side-Swiped, T-Boned, Left Turn Across Traffic, and Struck Object. The highest of the

bunch was Backing Up, which had 47 reports last year, a jump of 15 from 2022 and 18 more
than 2021. It is worth noting, however, that there were more in 2019, with 59 incidents and
similar in 2018, with 42.
The next highest was Struck Object, with 32 collisions, the same as in 2022. Side-Swiped and
Rear-Ended collisions were at 22 and 21, respectively, while Hit and Runs had 19 reports. Hit
and Runs is one area much lower than it used to be. In 2018, there were a whopping 61
collisions. Numbers dropped towards the end of COVID, with 41 in 2021 and only 17 in 2022.
Nineteen in 2023 is a slight increase, but hopefully, that trend doesn’t continue.
The Highway 43 Corridor remains a hotbed for collision activity, with seven, the highest of the
Highway 43 connections/areas. The highest count for intersections on Highway 43 was 33
Street, beside the Kanata Hotel, which registered six. The next highest intersections were a tie
at five each for both Dahl Drive/Pine Road (McDonalds/Starbucks) and 51 Street (IGA) and a tie
at four each for Hwy 32 and 34 Ave/Caxton Street (Roadhouse).
For Key Town Intersections, Pine Road/Caxton Street (near Hilltop High School) and Dahl
Drive/52 Avenue (the lights by No Frills), each had four, the highest of the list. The second
highest spot was a three-way tie, with three collisions each, for Mink Creek Road/55 Avenue
(St. Joseph’s Catholic Church lights), Dahl Drive/49 Avenue (Cut-Across lights) and Dahl
Drive/41 Avenue (Crytal Glass/Hillpark Trailer Park).
“In 2023, we saw a similar trend as in 2022, with more collisions at key Highway 43
intersections than at key Town controlled intersections. However, collisions at Highway 43
intersections in 2023 were 17% lower than in 2022, whereas collisions at key Town intersections
increased 18% from 2022. Overall, this is still comparative with previous years,” read the report.
The last piece was the traffic counts from Alberta Transportation. Numbers slightly increased in
2023, growing two percent from 2022’s numbers. Traffic is still much lower than it was in 2018
and 2019. As one example, westbound traffic passing through the 51 Street/Highway 43
intersection was recorded at 17,580 in 2018 versus 13,580 in 2023.
Overall, the Administration said the report didn’t show trends of concern. “There were no
apparent trends or changes in collision types, frequencies, or locations in 2023 that would
warrant greater scrutiny for potential remedial measures,” read the report. It also stated that
though collisions at Key Town Intersections had increased by 18 percent (from 22 to 26), they
still fell within the expected range.