Notes: TDG = Transportation of Dangerous Goods p = Preliminary data e = estimated N/A = Not available

Notes about the data:
Comparing accident numbers between modes: The reader should be cautioned in making comparisons across modes as the source and criteria for reporting accidents/incidents can vary from mode to mode. For example, the definitions of a reportable Transportation Safety Board (TSB) accident and incident vary among aviation, marine and rail. The type of risk exposure, frequency and magnitude of an accident, including the impact on public perception of safety, also vary. The TDG program, which includes accidents at the modal transportation facilities, does not cover dangerous goods transported in bulk on ships (as well as by pipeline) and therefore limits the type of data comparisons that can be made between in-transit TDG accidents across modes.

Comparing accident rates within and between modes and data limitations: The available activity measures (also referred to as risk exposure or denominator data) and accident numbers (nominator) for determining the rate are also particular to each mode and have their own set of limitations. For marine, data is collected only for commercial vessels over 15 gross registered tonnage. In addition, there have been data collection changes over the years (e.g., in 2000, Statistics Canada made a change to the treatment of domestic tug and barge movements). The million vessel-kilometres is being used for the ten-year accident rates for marine. For road, the available accident rates are based on the number of registered vehicles, rather than kilometres. Accident rates based on kilometres are available for recent years only. (See Addendum Table A4-5.) For aviation, itinerant movements (flights between and at the top 100 airports) is more representative of risk exposure (e.g. most accidents occur during take-off or landing).

The reader is cautioned that starting with the 2004 Annual Report, as with the aviation accident and fatalities data, the accident rates for the Canadian-registered aircraft operations are now based on the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) definitions, making them less comparable to past reports or other related publications. Rail continues to operate in train-miles. The ten-year trend for rail is available per million main track train-miles, but does not include yard-switching miles. The yard-switching miles, available since 1999 and presented in the Addendum Table A4-2, measures activity on other than the main track, and historically accounts for approximately 50 per cent of the accidents. For all four modes, therefore, the available denominator for measuring activity, ranges in the degree of representation of all modal accidents. In addition, some available denominators must be estimated to account for data reporting changes in a certain year or for data lag for the most recent year.

The approximate exposure/activity level estimates for the transportation of dangerous goods, lack the precision to provide reasonable accident rate trends. This is largely due to the difficulty inherent in isolating dangerous goods commodities for the approximately 30 million shipments of dangerous goods in Canada every year. That said, the above denominators not only provide the approximate trends and point to changes in the exposure to risk, they, with other types of denominators available within the modal operations and for the TDG, also provide a contextual foundations for the accident (nominator) data.

Comparing time periods: The data reported is preliminary for 2006, as accident/incident reports can be received or revised and updated after the annual report is finalized. The difference between the final and preliminary accident totals, has historically been insignificant (e.g. about one per cent) for rail, marine and aviation. For road, collisions reported to the police are collected by the provinces/territories and provided to Transport Canada to develop the national casualty collision statistics. The one calendar year delay is due to the inherent difficulties in handling the collection and processing of high volumes of data (over 600,000 crash cases annually) and the compiling and release of statistics at the jurisdictional and then at the national levels.

In addition, the long-term comparisons can be affected to varying degrees by the industry, government or system-wide changes (e.g. industry restructuring, such as growth of rail shortlines notably in the mid-1990s and government devolution and commercialization of operations; recent regulatory changes, such as in the TDG accident-reporting requirements; and system improvements, including introduction of new technologies).

Comparing fatality numbers: The ten-year trends on annual fatality totals for marine and aviation, which show high fluctuations for some years, may be indicative of the high impact of rare multi-casualty fatal accidents in that year. This is in contrast to road, where the impact of multi-casualty collisions (e.g. pile-ups) on the comparatively very high annual total fatalities is proportionately low. For rail, the total annual fatalities can be influenced by fluctuations in trespasser fatalities, which account for the highest share of the total among all categories of fatal rail accidents.

1. Canadian-registered aircraft, other than ultra-lights, and based on the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs). Accidents involving aircraft not operating in accordance with CARs (i.e. military and state aircraft not operating under CARs) are not included. Accident rates per 100,000 itinerant aircraft movements. Canadian Operator Itinerant Movements, adapted from Air Movement Statistics (AMS), reflect total movements from top 100 airports where Air Traffic Control Towers and Flight Service Stations are in place. The 2005 Itinerant Movements are estimated due to data lag.
2. Accidents involving Canadian-registered vessels. Accident rates per million vessel-kilometres for commercial vessels of over 15 GRT.
3. Railways under federal jurisdiction. Accident rates per million main track train-miles (excludes yard switching miles).
4. Road statistics relate to 2005 (most recent road safety statistics). Collision rate per 10,000 Motor Vehicle Registrations. Road accidents are casualty collisions, which exclude collisions in which only property is damaged.
5. TDG = Accidents where transportation of dangerous goods (TDG) were involved. Fatality data relate to only those deaths caused by the dangerous goods.

Source: Transportation Safety Board, Transport Canada and Statistics Canada