In 2010, a comprehensive review of the Motor Vehicle Accident Report manual was undertaken. Through consultation with Toronto Police Service, York Regional Police Service, Waterloo Regional Police Service and the Ontario Police College, the Ministry of Transportation has undertaken the reformatting and updating of the manual known as the Motor Vehicle Accident Report (MVAR). This process took more than a year to review and addressed ambiguity of definitions as well as refreshed the source document into an electronic format with new updated graphics.
During our consultations, it was expressed to us that the name of the MVAR was itself outdated and was in need of a change to reflect current industry standards: that, “there are no accidents, only collisions.” In response, the Ministry has renamed the MVAR to Motor Vehicle Collision Report (MVCR) manual. The word "accident" however, does remain in the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) and therefore, for Ministry purposes will be considered synonymous with any reference to “collision” and vice versa.
Yesterday, (coincidentally) Toronto Police launched a campaign – S.P.A.C.E. to cycle directly targeting cooperation of cyclists and drivers. The education and enforcement of "dooring" has been going on well before this campaign and this article. Furthermore, the article eludes that we do not consider it, "...a collision," but does not mention the rest of the sentence, "...as it pertains to the Ontario Highway Traffic Act."
Definition of a collision (as per the Ministry of Transportation)
All Ontario Police Services define a collision as, “the contact resulting from the motion of a motor vehicle or streetcar or its load that produces property damage, injury, or death.”
Motion defined
For vehicles equipped with automatic transmission, motion refers to a moving vehicle with drivers in the driver seat and/or,
Wheels turning and axles rotating,
Skidding (moving with wheels locked, axles not rotating) ,
Vehicle stopped with the engine running and the gear in any other position other than PARK or Neutral.
The Toronto Police Service does not track these incidents specifically but if an officer believes on reasonable grounds an offence has been committed, a charge may be laid. A collision report however does not need to be created. The officers attending the scene will record all necessary information and ensure all information provided is accurate. This then becomes a civil matter with information between the involved parties being exchanged.
Please be assured that your Toronto Police Service is committed to ensuring the safety of all who enjoy Toronto, and keeping it one of the safest cities in the world.
Constable Clint Stibbe, Traffic Services
