Canada’s National Road Safety Plan
Canada’s road safety stakeholders have a long-term national road safety
plan called Road Safety Vision 2010. Our vision is for Canada to have the
safest roads in the world. Our national target is that 30% fewer road users
will be killed or seriously injured in traffic collisions by 2010. Road
Safety Vision 2010 also contains a number of sub-targets that focus on
the major road safety issues in Canada – occupant restraints, drinking and
driving, high-risk road use and vulnerable road user safety. The specific
target for vulnerable road users is that 30% fewer pedestrians,
motorcyclists and cyclists will be killed or seriously injured in traffic
collisions by 2010 than during the 1996-2001 period.
Canadian Initiatives to Improve Vulnerable
Road User Safety
The World Health Organization’s focus on road safety – and, in particular,
its concerns for vulnerable road user safety in the world’s underdeveloped
countries – served as a catalyst for Canadian road safety stakeholders to
take concrete action to make roads safer for pedestrians, motorcyclists and
cyclists.
A national task force, comprising road safety professionals from a number
of provinces and Transport Canada, was created in early 2004 under the
auspices of the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators. As a
starting point, this task force will identify the extent and nature of the
vulnerable road user problem in Canada, report on successful strategies
currently in place, and develop and promote national strategies and initiatives.
Transport Canada is undertaking a pilot study of crashes involving vulnerable
road users. The findings from this pilot study are intended to be used to
contribute to the design of motor vehicles that will be “friendlier” to
vulnerable road users, and in particular to pedestrians, in the event of
a collision. The findings will also be used to identify potential prevention
measures to reduce the incidence of such collisions.
Transport Canada researchers are also involved in a working group of
the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Europe, which is developing
motor vehicle requirements that will lead to changes in vehicle design.
The changes are intended to reduce injuries to pedestrians, and to a
lesser degree to cyclists, in the event of a collision. The European Union
has already adopted vehicle regulations, to provide improved protection
for pedestrians, which will be gradually introduced during the 2005-2012
period. Transport Canada researchers are currently assessing the
viability of these regulations in the Canadian environment.
Tips to Make Road Use Safer for Pedestrians, Motorcyclists
and Cyclists
Clearly, many risk factors still exist. All road users must do their part
to reduce these risks. Motorists and vulnerable road users must walk, ride,
cycle and drive more defensively in order to make road travel safer for
everyone.
Pedestrians should:
- Obey the rules of the road: cross at intersections or
in pedestrian safety zones.
- Be vigilant at both intersection and non-intersection locations,
especially in urban areas.
- Never run into the roadway from behind stopped or parked vehicles.
- Walk against traffic along roadsides without sidewalks or on rural
roadways.
- Wear bright or reflective clothing when walking, especially at night.
- Never assume that motorists will yield, even if you have the
right-of-way.
Motorcyclists should:
- Never drink and ride.
- Be vigilant at both intersection and non-intersection locations,
on both urban and rural roadways.
- Always obey posted speed limits.
- Always wear safety helmets.
Cyclists should:
- Always wear cycling helmets.
- Always obey the rules of the road.
- Use a light (front and back) at night.
- Wear bright or reflective clothing when riding, especially at night.
- Be vigilant at both intersection and non-intersection locations, especially
in urban areas.
- Never assume that motorists will yield, even if you have the right-of-way.
Motorists should:
- Always be on the lookout for and yield to vulnerable road users, even
if they don’t have the right-of-way.
- Always obey traffics signals and traffic control signs.
- Pay particular attention to younger children playing on streets and to
senior citizens crossing at intersections.
- Pay particular attention to workers in temporary work zones.
- Be prepared for vulnerable road users to appear unexpectedly at both
intersection and non-intersection locations, on both urban and rural roadways.
References
1. C.J.L. Murray and A.D. Lopez, eds. The Global Burden of Disease: A
Comprehensive Assessment of Mortality and Disability from Diseases, Injuries,
and Risk Factors in 1990 and Projected to 2020. Boston, Harvard University
Press, 1996. Return to text
2. Traffic Information Data File (TRAID), Transport Canada. With the exception
of the chart illustrating fatality trends among motorcyclists over time, all
Canadian victim information cited in this fact sheet was derived from Transport
Canada’s 2001 national traffic collision data file. Return to text
3. D.R. Mayhew, S.W. Brown and H.M. Simpson. The Alcohol-Crash Problem in
Canada: 2001. The Traffic Injury Research Foundation of Canada, 2003. Return to
pedestrian section Return
to motorcyclist section
World Health Day logo, © Copyright, World Health Organization 2004. All rights reserved.
Contact
To find out more about national road safety programs and initiatives, call
Transport Canada toll free at 1-800-333-0371 or (613) 998-8616 if you are
calling from the Ottawa area, e-mail comments or questions to
roadsafetywebmail@tc.gc.ca
or write us at:
Road Safety and Motor Vehicle
Regulation Directorate
Transport Canada
Tower C, Place de Ville
330 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0N5
|
