Last year, Toronto marked its lowest number of traffic-related fatalities in ten years, coinciding with the removal of a significant road safety initiative from the city. The most recent data from the city reveals that 39 individuals lost their lives on Toronto’s streets in 2025, a decrease even from the reduced numbers observed during the pandemic restrictions in 2020. Among the fatalities were 19 pedestrians, 12 motorists, five motorcyclists, two cyclists, and one individual using “micromobility” such as electric bikes and e-scooters.
This figure represents a significant drop from a decade ago when the city experienced a peak in traffic deaths. In 2016, there were 78 reported fatalities, with over half of them involving pedestrians. In response to these alarming statistics, the City of Toronto implemented its Vision Zero strategy aimed at eradicating traffic-related casualties. This comprehensive plan involves various road safety measures, including street redesigns to discourage speeding, and the implementation of speed cameras and red light cameras.
Over the past decade since the initiation of the plan, there has been a general downward trend in traffic fatalities. The manager of Vision Zero’s projects, Sheyda Saneinejad, highlighted that the strategy received its largest budget to date in 2025, enabling its expansion and contributing to the positive outcomes.
Despite these advancements, one crucial element of the road safety measures, the city’s speed cameras, were dismantled in the fall following new provincial legislation. This decision was made despite studies by the CAA indicating that speed cameras effectively reduced speeding and had strong support among Ontarians. Lauren Fisher, the CAA’s government relations manager, emphasized the importance of such measures in preventing accidents and expressed concerns that without adequate speed control, fatalities could rise again.
Premier Doug Ford and his government have criticized speed cameras as ineffective and removed them in favor of large warning signs. However, road safety advocates like Jess Spieker from Friends and Family for Safe Streets are apprehensive about the potential risks, particularly around schools, where most cameras were installed, in the upcoming year.
While acknowledging the loss of speed cameras as a setback, Saneinejad reassured that the Vision Zero strategy incorporates multiple safety layers to ensure road safety. Additional measures such as speed humps and cushions, school crossing guards, and red light cameras are being expanded to compensate for the absence of speed cameras. Spieker emphasized the importance of a comprehensive approach to road safety, highlighting the need to prioritize pedestrian safety in street designs to achieve the Vision Zero objective.