There were over 19,000 crashes last year in Mississauga and Brampton

Mississauga and Brampton roads were less safe in 2021 than the year prior in terms of number of collisions, according to recent police data.

On Thursday, June 30, Peel Regional Police shared their crime and traffic data for Peel in 2021.

According to the report, there were a total of 19,419 motor vehicle collisions in 2021 — an increase from 16,576 collisions in 2020.

Of that 19,419 total, police say 31 of the crashes were fatal, 1,065 resulted in injury, and 8,426 resulted in property damage.

In terms of driving offences, 2021 saw a total of 43,605 charges being laid under the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) in Peel.

That number is up 5,367 from 2020, which saw 38,238 HTA charges.

The 2021 data indicates that 16,517 charges were laid for speeding, 851 were laid for careless driving, 928 for using an electronic device while driving, 1,623 for disobeying a traffic light, 2,881 for failing to stop at a stop sign, 4,232 for an invalid permit, 394 for not using a seatbelt, and 16,179 listed as other HTA offences.

Peel police’s annual RIDE program checked a total of 14,475 vehicles in 2021. The program resulted in 42 impaired driving charges, 111 excess blood alcohol charges, and 117 suspensions for blood alcohol concentration in the “warn range” of .05 to .08.

RIDE program charges and suspensions all saw an increase from 2020, despite the fact that almost 10,000 less vehicles were checked in 2021.

In related traffic news, Peel Region recently reported that nearly 26,000 speeding tickets were issued last year in Peel, and more than 1,600 total stunt driving charges were laid.

The number of speeding incidents has prompted Peel to launch a new “Don’t Speed” awareness campaign, reminding residents of the penalties for speeding: A roadside suspension of up to 30 days and fines of up to $10,000, among other potential consequences.

Initiatives to reduce speeding and traffic offences include the use of automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras, which have doled out over $1 million in fines in Mississauga but appear to be costing the city money due to issues collecting fines.

RELATED: Peel police’s 2021 crime data