Collisions down on Alberta highway section with 120 km/h speed limit

Initial results from Alberta’s pilot project allowing drivers to travel up to 120 km/h on part of Highway 2 show a decline in collisions and traffic tickets, according to the provincial government and RCMP data.

The province introduced the higher speed limit on April 29 on a 22-kilometre stretch of Highway 2 south of Leduc. The speed limit was previously 110 km/h.

As part of the pilot, Alberta is monitoring traffic speeds, collision frequency and severity, driver experiences and emergency-service calls in the test zone and the five kilometres on either side.

Government data shows the average speed in the pilot zone was 119.6 km/h between May 29 and July 29, compared with 118 km/h during the same period in 2025.

The province said six collisions were recorded in the zone between May 20 and July 29 this year. Historically, the area has seen about six to eight collisions per month.

RCMP data also shows a decline in collisions. Leduc RCMP and Ponoka RCMP recorded 71 collisions in the pilot zone between May 5 and July 27, down 17 per cent from the 85 reported during a comparable period last year.

Police also issued 434 tickets in the zone this year, about 16 per cent fewer than the previous year. RCMP traffic services analyst Jaimy Black cautioned that ticket numbers can be affected by factors including staffing, enforcement activity, weather, road conditions, construction, special events and traffic volumes.

The Alberta government has described the early results as encouraging, but the pilot is continuing as officials collect more data to assess whether the higher speed limit can be maintained safely.