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October
2001
TP 2436 E
Fact
Sheet # RS 2001–07
Road
Safety and Motor Vehicle Regulation Directorate
Introduction
The National Occupant Restraint Program is an important element of Road Safety Vision
2010 - an ambitious partnership approved by federal, provincial and territorial Ministers of Transport to make Canada's roads the safest in the world. The objective of NORP is to achieve a national seat belt usage rate of 95 percent for all occupants in
light-duty vehicles (passenger cars, passenger vans and light trucks). Transport Canada's contribution to this program of monitoring seat belt usage rates in Canada is done through conducting an annual survey. The latest national survey of seat belt use took place between July 16 and July 22, 2001.
Light-Duty Vehicles
For Canada as a whole, the estimated proportion of all occupants of light-duty vehicles using seat belts is unchanged at 90 percent for the last three years (see
Table 1). This estimate is accurate within ± 0.6 percent, 19 times out of 20 in repeated samples.
Other highlights of the 2001 survey of all occupants of light-duty vehicles for individual provinces and territories (in rounded percentages) are as follows:
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Five provinces have a seat belt use rate of 90 percent or more, same as last year.
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Ontario leads the country with a usage rate of 93 percent, followed by Newfoundland and Saskatchewan at a rate of 92 percent, New Brunswick and British Columbia both at a rate of 91 percent.
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Seat belt wearing rates for other provinces and territories are: Quebec at 89 percent; Nova Scotia at 88 percent; Prince Edward Island at 87 percent; Alberta at 85 percent; Manitoba at 82 percent; Yukon at 78 percent; the Northwest Territories at 63 percent and Nunavut at 13 percent.
The high national wearing rate is the result of increased safety awareness by the motoring public as well as concerted efforts in the areas of policy-making, safety promotion and enforcement by the provincial and territorial governments, police forces and road safety associations.
Light Trucks and Passenger Vans
Table 3 presents the survey results of seat belt use by type of vehicle. As in previous surveys, this year's survey distinguished
passenger vans from light trucks. The national results show that the use of seat belts by all occupants is 91 percent in passenger vans and 83 percent in
light trucks. Light trucks and passenger vans account for 32.7 percent of the vehicles included in the survey.
Age Group
Table 4 presents the survey results of seat belt use by age group of vehicle occupants.
Within each category of vehicle, the use of seat belts by drivers increases as the age of the driver
increases - the older the driver, the higher the seat belt use rate.
Survey Method
The July 2001 survey was undertaken at 243 sites selected by province and territory, community size and road type, and is comparable to the samples used in the previous national seat belt use surveys.
Information
To find out more about national road safety programs and initiatives,
call Transport Canada's Information Centre toll free at 1 800 333 0371 or
1 613 998 8616, if you are calling from the National Capital area, or e-mail comments or questions to
roadsafetywebmail@tc.gc.ca or, via regular mail, to:
Road Safety Programs Branch
Transport Canada
330 Sparks Street
Tower C, Place de Ville
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0N5
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© Minister of Public Works and Government Services 2001.
This publication may be reproduced without permission provided that its use is solely for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, review or newspaper summary and the source is fully acknowledged.
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