The list of Chatham-Kent's most dangerous intersections is out and McNaughton Avenue and St. Clair Street in Chatham is at the top.
That intersection had 20 crashes in 2019, two more than Lacroix Street and Park Avenue -- also in Chatham. Grand Avenue and Keil Drive, Keil Drive and Riverview Drive, and Keil Drive and Richmond Street in Chatham round out the top five.
Police statistics showed that last year was a busy year for crashes across Chatham-Kent. Traffic officers responded to 10 more crashes in 2019 compared to the 22 the previous year. Twelve of them were fatal compared to the five in 2018.
Chief Gary Conn quickly pointed out during a police services board meeting on Tuesday that four of the deadly crashes were possibly caused by impaired driving (pending toxicology results). Of the other fatal crashes, one involved a cyclist, three were possible medical events, two were related to mental health, and two were due to driving behaviour.
Fourth-quarter 2019 statistics from the collision reporting centre also showed an overall increase in total collisions reported and in all collision classifications. Chatham-Kent police said the highest percentage of crashes last year was in November, on Fridays, and in the afternoon.
The 68 RIDE programs last year stopped 7,117 vehicles, issued seven licence suspensions, and laid one impaired driving charge and 16 criminal charges. The charges are all higher than the 2018 figures. Police reported those 19-24 are more likely to drive drunk based on the data collected.
