Alarmed by a recent traffic accident that left a mother and child with serious injuries, Chief Rod Knecht launched a new plan Friday aimed at curbing dangerous driving.

Edmonton drivers are off to a "dangerous" start in 2016, Knecht said.

"When we have vehicles hitting moms and toddlers in strollers properly using marked crosswalks, we know it is time to take more serious action," he said.

The mother pushing a stroller with her child was hit by a pickup truck on Jan. 3 in north Edmonton at 153rd Avenue near Castledowns Road.

While no one was killed, injuries to the mother and child are likely permanent, Knecht said. A preliminary investigation suggests distracted driving was the cause.

Last year, there were a record 35 traffic deaths in Edmonton.

The chief's plan is to shift a team of 15 traffic police, one of four teams that cover the city, away from major arterial routes into residential neighbourhoods to watch for speeders and distracted drivers in school zones.

Knecht said this new strategy will do a better of job of reducing traffic problems.

"It's something we have to do. (It's) a smarter, different, better way of doing policing, a refocusing of resources."

One of the main goals of the plan is to change the attitudes of drivers.

This city has "poor drivers," Knecht said. "We have to change the culture of entitlement of some of those prolific offenders."

More fines will be handed out in the future as police put their new plan into action, he said.

Edmontonians tell police traffic is their top concern, Knecht said.