The Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) has released new data on fatal collisions in Canada.
With sponsorship from Desjardins Insurance, two new fact sheets have been published called Speed-related Fatal Collisions in Canada 2000-2023 and Distraction-related Fatal Collisions in Canada 2000-2023.
They provide the latest national picture of how speeding and distraction contribute to road deaths, and how those trends have shifted in recent years as well as over the past two decades.
In 2023, road deaths involving at least one speeding driver rose to 513, up from 412 in 2019. These speed-related fatalities represented nearly one-third (30.7%) of all road deaths.
In contrast, fatalities involving at least one distracted driver declined to 322 (22.7%) in 2023, a drop from 389 reported in 2018 and a 24-year low from 458 in 2000.
“Despite the widespread adoption of lower speed limits, automated enforcement measures and infrastructure solutions, numbers are trending in the wrong direction,” said Ward Vanlaar, TIRF COO.
“Conversely, distraction prevention has emphasized laws, enforcement and education, which has numbers trending downward.”
“These outcomes underscore two important takeaways. First, policy must be followed by committed action to new measures. Rollouts in safe, non-controversial areas like school zones are insufficient to create widespread change. Second, tried and true measures like consistent, certain enforcement remain essential even as new measures are applied. This is the heart of deterrence. Evidence of how quickly gains can be lost is a wake-up call for decision-makers.”
