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In 1995, in Caledon, Ontario, eight young people lost their lives
in a senseless crash on Mother's Day. A few months later six more lives were lost
devastating the Caledon community. With the co-operation of police, local schools and
citizens, a video was made to commemorate these lives and the negligent way in which they
died. As a result, in 1995, Road Watch was conceived. For the first time Caledon
citizens, supported by the local police, could report, in a non-threatening manner, any
driver who displayed aggressive, risk-taking behaviour.
This program is now being enforced in Ajax/Pickering and all other communities across the
Durham Region. When you experience aggressive drivers, risk-takers or anyone breaking the
law, you, the local citizen, can report the offense on a Citizen Report Form. These forms
are located at countless Road Watch drop boxes in the region and a printable version
is located in the Downloads section on the right side of this page. Try to identify as
much information as possible (ie: license plate number, colour and type of vehicle, where
the incident occurred and what you witnessed). The form must be signed to make the report
legal and to protect the program from abuse. The signer's name will not be disclosed.
Volunteers take turns collecting these signed forms on a consistent, scheduled basis which
are then delivered to the local police. Other volunteers process the forms and send
letters to warn the owners of these vehicles about the reported incident. The data is kept
on file to be matched with any prior reports so that they can be followed up by a phone
call or even a visit by a police officer.
The purpose of Road Watch is to eliminate senseless car crashes, road rage and a
plain disregard for the rules of the road. We all should participate in making our
communities safe and crash free.
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