February 1, 2005

Canada’s Worst Driver

Mr. Ken MacDonald
Vice President, Programming
Discovery Channel Canada
c/o CTV Inc.
Toronto, ON

Dear Mr. MacDonald:

The Canada Safety Council enjoys a longstanding and beneficial relationship with CTV (CTV News, CTV Newsnet, Canada AM, W5) and its affiliate stations. I am writing to you with serious concerns about your upcoming series Canada’s Worst Driver.

The Discovery Channel has a reputation for credible educational programming. However, recent media reports promoting Canada’s Worst Driver indicate serious factual inaccuracies and irresponsible messaging. This program will not portray a fair or accurate picture of Canada’s hard work and impressive achievements in road safety.

The series producer is quoted as saying that Canada ranks among the five worst out of 30 countries for injurious traffic accidents. He claims that Canada is far behind even China, and that the statistics paint a dismal portrait of this nation’s drivers. He claims the planned series fills an alleged urgent need to identify the contributing factors to poor driving and to make a real effort to correct them. These statements reflect a profound ignorance of traffic safety in Canada and internationally.

Since 1980, road traffic deaths in this country have declined by almost 50 percent. Transport Canada statistics show that in 2003 there were 2,778 deaths in motor vehicle traffic collisions. This represents a rate of 8.8 fatalities per 100,000 population. The latest statistics we have from China, in the April 2004 World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention, show 250,007 fatalities and a fatality rate of 19.0 per 100,000.

A January 2003 report on road fatalities in OECD member countries shows Canada's traffic fatality rate as the third lowest, next only to the Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Finland and Norway) and Switzerland based on a combination of fatalities per 100,000 population and fatalities per billion vehicle kilometres. Two other countries, the UK and the Netherlands, have lower fatality rates based on population but do not provide data on kilometres driven.

Canada's driving environment is quite different from that faced by drivers in these European and Scandinavian countries. Our geography presents much longer travel distances and a wider variety of road conditions. As well, we have one of the highest ratios of car ownership in the world, with close to one vehicle for every two Canadians.

If distance traveled were factored in, Canada may be number one in traffic safety. Our impressive safety record confirms that most Canadian drivers are safety conscious. We are appalled that the Discovery Channel associates itself with the message that Canada’s traffic safety record is one of the worst in the world.

Moreover, the factors contributing to deaths and injuries on our roads have been analyzed, and committees are in place to address them. Canada’s Road Safety Vision 2010 clearly identifies and sets targets for key priority areas. They include: occupant restraint use, impaired driving, speed and intersection management, high-risk drivers, vulnerable road users and commercial vehicles. Task groups involving transportation officials, police and other safety experts are in place to achieve improvements in all areas. Canada’s official national goal is to have the safest roads in the world. Contrary to the assumptions of Canada’s Worst Driver, we are well on the way to achieving this goal.

Traffic safety does not just “happen.” The average Canadian may not realize how much goes on behind the scenes. (Certainly, the producers of Canada’s Worst Driver do not!) Backed with reliable research and statistics, those in charge of traffic safety have analyzed the problems and are developing solutions.

The alleged “urgent need” to identify the contributing factors to road traffic collisions is in fact well in hand. Canada’s national road safety strategy is addressing these factors on an ongoing basis and has achieved impressive progress. The Discovery Channel’s promotion of Canada’s Worst Driver denigrates the commitment of the many highly qualified and dedicated people in this country who have been working very hard to prevent deaths and injuries on our roads.

In the interest of your channel’s good reputation, I hope you will reconsider this ill-informed series.

Sincerely,

Emile-J. Therien
President, Canada Safety Council

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