Canada Aims High
“To have the safest roads in the world”
Significant Progress / Safety Challenges / Committees Tackle Priorities /
Let’s Make It Happen
In sheer size, Canada is one of the world’s largest countries. Yet, except for a few major urban areas, its population density is very low. Canadians drive long distances, and in many regions public transportation is limited or non-existent. These factors have led to a high rate of vehicle ownership. Over 21 million drivers drive almost 19 million vehicles on more than 900,000 kilometres of roads.
The Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) brings together provincial, territorial and federal government officials along with other traffic safety stakeholders including the Canada Safety Council. CCMTA receives its mandate from the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety. CCMTA is coordinating Road Safety Vision 2010, a national action plan to make this country’s roads the safest in the world. The goal of Road Safety Vision 2010 is to reduce the number of road fatalities and serious injuries in Canada by 30 per cent for the 2008-2010 period compared to 1996-2001 average figures. This would bring annual traffic fatalities below 2,100 and serious injuries below 13,000 by 2010.
Significant Progress
Road Safety Vision 2010 started in 2002 and extends to 2010. Approved in the Fall of 2000 by all ministers of transportation and highway safety, it identifies strategic objectives and targets — and they are ambitious. Nonetheless, the track record of the past 20 years shows they are attainable. Since 1982, the number of road traffic fatalities has dropped by about one-third, despite the fact there are more vehicles and licensed drivers.
Road Safety Vision 2010 is the successor to Canada’s first national road safety initiative, Road Safety Vision 2001. Overall, between 1996 and 2001 – the time frame of Road Safety Vision 2001 – fatalities decreased by 10 per cent, while serious injuries declined by 16 per cent. National seat-belt use in predominantly urban areas increased slightly, to 90 per cent, and the percentage of fatally injured drivers who had been drinking decreased from 42 per cent to 36 per cent.
Much credit for Canada’s impressive progress in traffic safety goes to the commitment and dedication of all stakeholders. Their collaboration has resulted in some very successful safety measures, including: laws requiring the use of seat-belts and child restraints, tough sanctions for drinking and driving, public education and enforcement campaigns, safer vehicles and road improvements. The quality of emergency medical response and trauma care has also saved lives.
There were 2,936 deaths due to motor vehicle traffic collisions in the year 2002 . In addition, there were 227,768 reported injuries. Vehicle occupants accounted for over three-quarters of the deaths and injuries. The rest were pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicyclists.
Safety Challenges
More than half of Canada’s road fatalities are drivers. Young drivers, aged 16 to 19 years, and elderly drivers, 75 years and older, have the highest risk of being killed in a traffic collision. Over one-third of all fatally injured drivers and passengers are not buckled up. Alcohol, excessive speed and aggressive driving are key factors in many collisions; other factors such as driver distraction and fatigue are also of concern.
Data for 2001 show that 38 per cent of fatally injured drivers who were tested had been drinking alcohol. Of these almost 85 per cent had BACs over the Criminal Code limit of 0.08. High-BAC drivers represent about one per cent of the cars on the road at night and on weekends, but nearly half of all drivers killed at those times. Innovative approaches are needed to stop these heavy drinkers from driving. Strict laws with tough penalties do not seem to deter them, and licence suspensions are often ignored.
Almost half of all road fatalities and about 40 per cent of serious injuries occur on undivided rural roads with posted speed limits of 80 to 90 km/h. Many of these victims were injured in crashes involving alcohol, non-use of seat-belts or speeding. Road Safety Vision 2010 aims to reduce deaths and injuries on rural roads by 40 per cent. Targets related to commercial vehicles, young drivers as well as pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicyclists have also been set.
Committees Tackle Priorities
Multiple risk factors are present in many fatal crashes. Groups under the aegis of CCMTA are working to address specific factors.
National Occupant Restraint Program (NORP 2010): The target is 95 per cent use of seat-belts and proper child restraints. Currently, males in light trucks on rural roads are least likely to buckle up, at less than 70 per cent. More than half of all drivers killed in single-vehicle crashes on rural roads are unbelted.
Strategy to Reduce Impaired Driving (STRID 2010): A 40 per cent decrease in the percentage of road users fatally or seriously injured in crashes involving drinking drivers is the 2010 target. With leadership from STRID, Canada saw a 27 per cent drop in road fatalities involving a drinking driver between 1995 and 2000. (During the same period, comparable US fatalities did not go down at all.)
NORP and STRID started in 1989 and 1990 respectively, and have realized impressive results. More recently, three task forces have been put into place.
Speed and Intersection Safety Management: Speeding was implicated in 17 per cent of all road fatalities. About 25 per cent of all fatalities involved collisions at intersections. This task force will develop initiatives to reduce deaths and injuries in such crashes by 20 per cent. Electronic enforcement, for example, has proven an effective deterrent to speeding and red light running.
High-Risk Driving: Three to four per cent of drivers do not wear seat-belts, drink and drive, drive at unsafe speeds, and run red lights and stop signs. These high-risk drivers account for about 12 per cent of fatalities and eight per cent of serious injuries. Road Safety Vision 2010 aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries involving these drivers by 20 per cent.
Vulnerable Road Users: Pedestrians, along with bicyclists and motorcyclists, are included in this group, which accounts for about 20 per cent of all traffic deaths and injuries. The Vision aims for a 30 per cent decrease in these numbers. Most pedestrian fatalities fall into two age groups: over 65, and 15 or younger. Helmet use is a critical factor in bicycle and motorcycle casualties.
In addition, CCMTA’s Standing Committee on Compliance and Regulatory affairs deals with issues related to commercial vehicles, including hours of service and safety ratings based on a number of performance indicators such as collisions and traffic violations. Road Safety Vision 2010 calls for a 20 per cent decrease in the number of road users killed or seriously injured in crashes involving commercial vehicles.
Let’s Make It Happen
Traffic safety does not just “happen.” The average Canadian may not realize how much goes on behind the scenes. Backed with reliable research and statistics, those in charge of traffic safety have analyzed the problems and are developing possible solutions.
Nonetheless, officials and experts cannot achieve Canada’s Road Safety Vision 2010 without the support and cooperation of the public. All road users across this vast land must put safety first and obey the rules of the road. Motorists must drive defensively. Businesses must make driver improvement an integral part of their safety programs. The Canada Safety Council urges all Canadians to take ownership of the goal for this country to have the safest roads in the world.
To view Road Safety Vision 2010 visit Transport Canada’s Road Safety Web site.
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