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Canadian Road Safety News Digest – August 1-31, 2017
September 14, 2017 | Categories: Quick Scan
Last Updated on September 14, 2017
The 2016 Motorcyclists Campaign Receives an Award
August 31, 2017, SAAQ (MONTREAL, QUEBEC)
The motorcycle safety campaign entitled Ride Safely, which was launched in the spring of 2016, has received a PACE Award in the prestigious 2017 PACE Overall Campaign – Budget over $50kThis link will open in a new window category. This award recognizes road safety initiatives developed by members of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA – Canada and United States), including awareness campaigns.
‘Phones down, heads up’ - Five steps to help keep kids safe as they head back to school
August 30, 2017, Parachute (TORONTO, ONTARIO)
Back to school means a renewed focus on safety for drivers and parents. Every day in Canada, seven children are struck while walking, and pedestrian injuries remain a leading cause of injury-related deaths for Canadian kids aged 14 and under. Most incidents happen after 3 p.m., when drivers are coming home from work, and children are walking home from school or after-school activities.
With this in mind, Parachute and FedEx Express Canada are reminding parents and drivers to ensure kids can walk safely to and from school on our neighbourhood streets
Vision Zero campaign: How many road deaths are acceptable?
August 28, 2017, Montreal Gazette (MONTREAL, QUEBEC)
Hoping to one day eliminate road deaths in the city, Montreal has launched a publicity campaign with a pointed question: what would be an acceptable number of road deaths in your family?
In a vox-pop-type video ad, Montrealers are first asked how many road deaths would be acceptable, then asked how many family members they would be willing to lose.
One hundred or 1,000 would be acceptable overall, some respondents said, but all answered zero when asked about family members.
Hundreds injured on gravel roads annually: Manitoba Public Insurance and RCMP partner to promote road safety
August 28, 2017, MPI (WINNIPEG, MANITOBA)
On average, nearly 500 people are injured in crashes on gravel roads in Manitoba annually, according to Manitoba Public Insurance. Sadly, about 14 people are killed yearly in crashes which occur on Manitoba gravel roads.
In efforts to reduce those numbers and heighten road safety awareness, Manitoba Public Insurance and the RCMP have partnered in a joint public awareness and enforcement campaign specific to gravel roads, which began in April and is continuing into the fall.
Alberta considering changes to impaired driving legislation
August 21, 2017, Canadian Underwriter (EDMONTON, ALBERTA)
The Government of Alberta has announced that it will “look at implementing changes” to impaired driving legislation in the province following a recent Court of Appeal of Alberta decision.
On May 18, 2017, the Court of Appeal ruled that part of the province’s current impaired driving sanctions are unconstitutional, Alberta Justice and Solicitor General noted in a statement last week. Specifically, the ruling stated that suspending licences until a matter is resolved in court infringes on an individual’s rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Grey matters: Age limits pose major roadblock for older drivers
August 14, 2017, National Post (TORONTO, ONTARIO)
An online survey from State Farm recently made headlines. Based on the experiences of 3,581 participants, the insurance company’s news release raised the alarm that older drivers are unsafe because of their disproportionate representation in automobile crashes causing severe or fatal injuries.
This is misleading. A rear-end collision that gives a younger driver a headache may send an older one to the hospital. Because of the relative frailty of older drivers, a sustained injury is not an objective way to measure the severity of a collision.
B.C. flaggers and drivers both need traffic safety training
August 14, 2017, Journal of Commerce (BURNABY, B.C.)
A recent hit-and-run incident in Burnaby, B.C. in which an SUV struck two traffic control persons (TCP) and sent one to hospital, shows the dangers TCPs face as they direct traffic on B.C.’s highways and byways.
Tightening drunk driving laws would put Canada closer to many other countries: MADD
August 11, 2017, Ottawa Citizen (OTTAWA, ONTARIO)
Canada does a lousy job of preventing impaired driving deaths compared to other countries and lowering legal blood alcohol limits would be a step toward improving that, according to the national director of legal policy for MADD Canada.
“We have a terrible record in terms of impaired driving,” said Robert Solomon, who is a professor of law at the University of Western Ontario in addition to being the legal policy director for Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
'Accidents happen': Yukon fuel company defends road safety record after recent crashes
August 10, 2017, CBC News (WHITEHORSE, YUKON)
A petroleum supply company in Whitehorse whose trucks have closed the Alaska Highway for hours at a time twice in the past two months is defending its record.
Lowering the legal alcohol limit to 0.05: Let's not skip steps, CAA-Quebec warns
August 8, 2017, Newswire.ca (QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC)
The federal government's proposal to explore lowering the legal alcohol limit for drivers in a bid to improve road safety, as reported in the Montreal daily La Presse, is of course commendable. But with cannabis due to be legalized in less than a year, CAA-Quebec believes that now is not the right time to introduce such a measure.
"Marijuana legalization is going to require major investments in prevention, awareness-raising and policing. And the amount and degree of progress of such efforts, as well as the planned amounts to be invested, are already worrisome," warns Marco Harrison, Director of the CAA-Quebec Foundation for Road Safety.
The roundabout way to control road traffic
August 4, 2017, theStar.com (TORONTO, ONTARIO)
hey may drive motorists crazy — and initially cause confusion — but municipalities are increasingly turning to roundabouts as a way to keep traffic flowing and reduce serious accidents.
But with more of these intersections — popular in Europe for over a century, but becoming more common in Ontario only in recent years — it’s time that the Highway Traffic Act is updated to include roundabouts, says a Tory MPP whose Waterloo-area riding is the traffic-circle capital of the province.
Toronto bike lanes now protected by three parking officers
August 3, 2017, theStar.com (TORONTO, ONTARIO)
Cyclists who cheered on Toronto’s famous bike lane guardian — and demanded more like him — got their wish.
Kyle Ashley, the parking enforcement officer who has zapped lane invaders with $150 tickets since June, and shamed corporate offenders on Twitter, is now part of a three-person squad.
Crashes on the rise in B.C.; new ICBC campaign targets bad driving habits
August 3, 2017, ICBC (VANCOUVER, B.C.)
According to a new survey completed by Insights West, most drivers say that driving in the province has gotten worse in the last five years – pointing at bad driving behaviours as one of the top contributors to B.C.'s road problems.
Respondents feel that drivers today are more distracted, more aggressive and more impatient, making driving in B.C. more dangerous. Despite this, the survey also found that 99% of all respondents considered themselves to be good or excellent drivers.
Students and Volunteers Campaign to Raise Awareness Ahead of the Holiday Long Weekend
August 2, 2017, arrive alive DRIVE SOBER (TORONTO, ONTARIO)
arrive alive DRIVE SOBER® is partnering with the TTC, GO-Transit and the OPP for its annual Transit Week that involves three days of awareness designed to keep our roads safe especially this holiday long weekend. Our goal for this campaign is to heighten Ontarians’ awareness of the dangers and repercussions if they make the mistake of driving impaired. arrive alive DRIVE SOBER will share 15,000+ Arrive Alive Passports in insurance folders with transit riders; the passports feature information about the legal ramifications such as: loss of licence, fines and fees, total costs exceeding $22,500, criminal charges and more.
OPP Concerned About Steady Increase in "Move Over" Charges
August 2, 2017, Newswire.ca (ORILLIA, ONTARIO)
For the second consecutive year, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is reporting one of the highest numbers of charges laid in recent history against drivers who failed to slow down and/or move over for emergency vehicles.
In 2016, the OPP laid 2,443 Move Over (and related) charges, surpassing 2015 which also saw a significant increase over previous years. The number of charges has steadily increased since 2011 – a clear sign that many drivers still fail to consider the well-being of the roadside emergency workers the law aims to protect.
Canadian Events & Conferences in 2017
Road Safety & Risk Management for Bicycle Facilities Workshop – Ontario Traffic Council
Toronto, Ontario
September 21, 2017
Moving Forward Together – Collaborating with Experts to Make School Zones Safer
Toronto, Ontario
October 2, 2017
Canadian National Driver Rehabilitation Conference
Charlottetown, PEI
October 12-13, 2017
Parachute Vision Zero Network’s 2nd Annual Summit
Toronto, Ontario
October 16-17, 2017
National Teen Driver Safety Week
Across Canada
October 15-21, 2017
Not by Accident / arrive alive DRIVE SOBER Joint Conference 2017
London, Ontario
October 23-24, 2017
Ontario Road Safety Forum - Second Meeting
Toronto, Ontario
November 15, 2017
CCMTA 2018 Annual Meeting
Quebec City, QC
June 3-6, 2018
CARSP Conference 2018
Victoria, BC
June 10-13, 2018