President's Perspective

Since the 1970s, traffic deaths have been steadily going down. In 1973 there were 6,706 motor vehicle fatalities. In 1998 (the last year for which we have statistics) 2,927 Canadians died in crashes — less than half the number of deaths, despite twice as many drivers and almost twice as many vehicles.

If the statistics were to go up, the consequences (economic and social) would indeed be serious: higher costs for insurance, medical and emergency services, and police follow-up; plus the pain and trauma of victims, family and friends.

Unless something is done about an alarming trend in driver behavior, we fear there will be an increase in serious collisions. For the second year in a row, the Nerves of Steel Aggressive Driving Survey, commissioned by the Canada Safety Council and TheSteelAlliance, found that although Canadians continue to identify aggressive driving as a serious safety problem, 85 per cent said they had committed at least one act of aggressive driving over the past year. Over 70 per cent thought aggressive driving is on the rise.

Running through a yellow light that was turning red and speeding were the most common aggressive behaviors identified.

Highly visible enforcement is a proven way to stop these behaviors. Research shows that the perception of certain apprehension is a very effective deterrent. When people know they will be caught they are less likely to commit an offense.

However, most municipalities cannot afford to have police at every traffic light and on every road. The Canada Safety Council has long advocated the use of photo-radar and red light cameras to improve traffic enforcement without increasing overall costs. Jurisdictions must ensure the purpose of these devices remains to improve safety, not to generate revenue. High tech devices cannot replace police officers, who must be active and visible in problem areas.

Given that one in six fatal collisions involves speeding, it is no surprise that the use of photo-radar to enforce speed limits dramatically reduces traffic deaths. Similarly, the presence of red light cameras changes driver behavior, reducing crashes at controlled intersections.

When implemented after proper analysis, the success of electronic enforcement is undisputed. It is used in several countries outside Canada, and in the provinces of B.C. and Alberta. Last December, Ontario allowed municipalities to use red light cameras.

We urge all Canadian jurisdictions to adopt photo-radar and red light cameras - before traffic crashes (with their associated deaths and injuries) start to go up!

Emile-J. Therien
President