A reduction in the number of crashes so far this year in one of the most dangerous areas of Windsor for motor vehicle collisions.
The Windsor Police Service reported during Thursday's Windsor Police Services Board meeting that 46 motor vehicle collisions have taken place year-to-date around Howard Avenue and the E.C. Row Expressway, a 49 per cent decrease compared to the 90 motor vehicle collisions recorded during the same time frame in 2024.
The area includes several intersections in a short stretch of the well-travelled section of Howard Avenue that leads to several shopping plazas and Devonshire Mall.
Windsor Police Deputy Chief Jason Crowley says that area has been number one or near the top of the list of the ten most dangerous intersections for a while.
"We've targeted our enforcement there, and we've targeted strategic initiatives there," he says. "This has obviously made a huge impact, a 49 per cent decrease in collisions in that area, those intersections, so it's good news."
The area in question has also experienced several lane reductions since April due to heavy construction on Howard Avenue between the E.C. Row Expressway and Marentette Avenue.
Crowley says he's not sure if the heavy construction through the corridor played a part in the reduction.
"We started this before the construction, and that's when we learned about the distracted driving at these intersections. People on their phones at a red light because they're just waiting. These are the kinds of things that we noticed right away. I think that's going to be a big part of the story-that a lot of it was us and our selective enforcement," he says.
Despite the decrease in collisions, it's still the area of Windsor with the highest number of crashes.
There were eight collisions alone this past August, the most in any area of the city for that month.