Transport Canada's role in road accidents

Police forces are largely responsible for investigating the cause of road accidents.

Transport Canada works in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments, as well as national safety organizations to promote road safety and establish national safety standards for motor vehicles through a broad range of activities.

The main goal of the department’s work is to reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by collisions, as well as damage to property, the environment, and health resulting from the use of motor vehicles.

Transport Canada also maintains a national database of information about collisions based on data provided by provincial and territorial police services. The data collected is used for many purposes, including analyzing trends, evaluating measures to improve safety, and promoting safety.

The department also studies specific safety issues, such as air bag deployment or side impact collisions. In addition, it conducts special investigations into accidents that may be of particular interest, such as those involving school buses, seatbelt failure or a malfunction of child restraint systems.

Other major players

The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) promotes transportation safety through independent investigations and, in some cases, public inquiries into rail, air and marine accidents. These investigations and inquiries help the TSB to determine why an accident happened, and how safety can be improved to help prevent similar accidents.

The TSB also maintains an accident reporting system for all modes of transportation. This information is used by the Board, and by Transport Canada, to analyze and improve the safety of Canada’s transportation system.

If a transportation accident involves fatalities, a representative of the provincial or territorial coroner or a medical examiner is sent to the site. The coroner’s responsibilities include conducting autopsies where necessary and determining the cause of death. The coroner may decide to hold a coroner’s inquest into the circumstances surrounding the deaths. This inquest is normally held two to six months after the accident.

The police, whether local, provincial or RCMP, are normally among the first officials to arrive at the site. Their initial responsibilities are to ensure the safety of persons and property at the site. They also secure the site, document evidence, assist the coroner in his/her duties, and may act as the coroner’s agent, especially in remote locations.

On occasion, there may be other organizations present at accident sites. For example, officials from Environment Canada and their provincial counterparts may be on hand to help determine the presence of or to contain any environmental damage.