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Submitted by the Office of the Mayor
Residents of North Tonawanda have voiced increasing concerns about unsafe driving behaviors that endanger pedestrians, particularly around school zones. In response, Mayor Austin Tylec is announcing the LetsDriveSafer pilot program, designed to create safer streets and address community concerns.
LetsDriveSafer is a community and technology-centered initiative built on the belief that there are no accidents – every crash is preventable.
The program will leverage novel traffic camera technology placed at various locations, focusing on problem areas such as school zones, to monitor and understand unsafe driving behaviors like stop sign violations, distracted driving, and failing to yield to pedestrians.
No tickets, only data collection
This program is solely for data collection purposes, and no violations will be issued. Video data will be anonymized, and statistics will be shared with the community to raise awareness and build a collective sense of responsibility for traffic safety.
“North Tonawanda’s streets should be safe for everyone – whether you're walking to school, driving to work, or riding your bike,” Tylec said. “This program represents our commitment to using innovative tools to make that vision a reality. I’m eager to hear from our residents as we work together to drive safer.”
Addressing traffic concerns head-on
Police Chief Keith Glass emphasized the importance of addressing the community's traffic concerns: “Traffic complaints and unsafe driving habits continue to plague roadways across the state, especially since the COVID outbreak. We plan on tackling these issues head-on by installing traffic cameras at various locations in the city, and continuing details targeting aggressive driving. This pilot program will allow us to collect data for more-efficient enforcement in problem areas and make our roadways safer, with fewer complaints from residents.
When and where
In early February, lightweight traffic camera devices will be placed at hotspots identified by community members as areas of concern. The focus of this initiative will be on school zones, where traffic concerns have been most pressing.
Tylec noted this program comes in response to numerous calls received by his office regarding traffic concerns, especially near schools. The focus of the LetsDriveSafer initiative will be on these areas to ensure the safety of children and residents.
More about LetsDriveSafer
LetsDriveSafer is a community and technology-driven program, created by Obvio Inc., a technology company based out of Silicon Valley. Obvio was founded by a team of traffic experts and technologists from companies such as Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and Nvidia, with a mission to improve road safety and transform how cities operate.