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Canadian Road Safety News Digest – August 1-31, 2019
September 16, 2019 | Categories: Quick Scan
Last Updated on September 16, 2019
Feds put up $5.4M to combat drug-impaired driving
August 30, 2019, CTV News (OTTAWA, ONTARIO)
The Government of Canada announced funding to combat drug-impaired driving on Friday.
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale announced that $5.4 million over five years will be used to increase capacity among officers in standardized field sobriety testing and drug recognition expert evaluation (DRE).
AI-Powered Cameras Pitched to Fight Distracted Driving in Canada
August 30, 2019, iPhoneInCanada.ca (EDMONTON, ALBERTA)
Acusensus, an Australian company that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to spot distracted drivers, made a pitch at the 2019 International Conference on Urban Traffic Safety in Edmonton on Friday. After completing pilot projects in Australia, the company is seeking opportunities in North America and beyond, including Canada.
Help Make Back to School Safer for Canadian Children
August 27, 2019, Newswire (TORONTO, ONTARIO)
As families across Canada prepare for back to school, all road users should remember that pedestrian injuries remain one of the leading causes of injury-related deaths for children 14 years of age and younger.
While there has been a 43-per-cent decrease in the number of pedestrian fatalities in children up to the age of 14 between 2007 and 2016, each death remains a tragedy – most often a preventable one.
Government of Canada provides $1.4 million to Northwest Territories to combat drug-impaired driving
August 26, 2019, Newswire (OTTAWA, ONTARIO)
Impaired driving is a leading cause of criminal death and injury in Canada. Far too many Canadians are risking their lives and the lives of others driving while impaired by cannabis or other drugs. Getting drug-impaired drivers off the road is a priority and makes travelling safer for everyone.
Today, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, announced $1,453,900 over five years to the Northwest Territories to increase capacity among frontline police officers in Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) evaluation to detect and deter drug-impaired driving and enforce the new legislative offences.
How Justice Canada’s ‘inaccurate and misleading’ impaired driving tweet sparked blame, confusion
August 22, 2019, Global News (OTTAWA, ONTARIO)
The Department of Justice put its social media plans to promote a new impaired driving law on hold earlier this summer after it received sharp criticism online over a now-deleted tweet that one senior departmental official described internally as “inaccurate and misleading.”
Transport Canada invests in innovative solutions for cyclist and pedestrian safety
August 19, 2019, Newswire (OTTAWA, ONTARIO)
The Government of Canada is committed to improving road safety in Canada and is seeking new, innovative partners to help protect vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and cyclists.
Today, the Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport, announced that two Canadian small businesses in Waterloo have been selected to develop a new system to enhance the safety of vulnerable road users.
Nearly a year after legalization, many police forces slow to use new THC blood charges for impaired driving
August 19, 2019, National Post (OTTAWA, ONTARIO)
New and controversial criminal charges that allow police to charge drivers based on THC levels in the blood are off to a slow start in most parts of the country, provincial data shows.
The RCMP’s national forensic labs had also anticipated a large spike in impaired driving blood toxicology work after cannabis was legalized, but so far it has failed to materialize. The number of samples sent in has been a quarter of what was expected.
‘Operation Safe Trucking' kicks off Sunday
August 16, 2019, Bay Today (NORTH BAY, ONTARIO)
The OPP says it investigates thousands of preventable transport collisions every year, making it a serious road safety issue.
So from August 18 to 24, Nipissing West officers will be dedicated to "Operation Safe Trucking." This annual campaign focusses on enforcing the rules of the road and moving violations, specifically for Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMV).
Montreal police defend 12,000 tickets issued to cyclists as biking advocates demand change
August 13, 2019, Global News (MONTREAL, QUEBEC)
Montreal police are defending the high tally of more than 12,000 tickets that officers gave to cyclists in 2018, saying it was done in the name of safety and has helped reduce fatalities on city streets.
Insp. André Durocher says that number is “relatively small” considering the more than one million people who bike on the island.
Why road injuries have dropped 34% in this province
August 7, 2019, Canadian Autowriter (REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN)
A combination of technology, legislation and behaviour change are contributing to a downward trend in road injuries and fatalities in Saskatchewan, including a substantial decrease last year, the Minister responsible for Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) suggested at a press conference Friday.
Tesla subpoenas may presage formal probe, former U.S traffic safety official says
August 7, 2019, The Star (TORONTO, ONTARIO)
Freshly disclosed records suggest the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration may be preparing a formal investigation into Tesla Inc.’s driver-assistance system Autopilot, a former agency official said.
The agency has issued at least five subpoenas since April 2018 for information about Tesla vehicle crashes, according to NHTSA correspondence with the electric-car manufacturer released Tuesday by Plainsite. The legal transparency group obtained the documents through a public records request for communications regarding Autopilot.
P.E.I. receives $2.5M for drug-impaired driving enforcement
August 6, 2019, CBC News (CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I.)
P.E.I. is getting $2.5 million to better tackle drug-impaired driving. The funding will be rolled out over five years and was announced by the federal government Tuesday.
The money will go toward training officers in standardized field sobriety testing and drug recognition expert evaluation. It will also help police forces purchase more equipment, including oral fluid drug screening devices. And forces will be able to establish dedicated trainers to deliver new and refresher training.
New provincial cycling group to advocate for safer legislation
August 6, 2019, Sherwood Park News (SHERWOOD PARK, ALBERTA)
The Alberta Cycling Coalition is seeking to steer legislators in the right direction and advocate for cyclist safety. During the Sunday, July 28 Tour de L’Alberta, the Alberta Cycling Coalition (ACC) made its public debut. The association is a like-minded group of individuals and organizations from across the province seeking to make Alberta roads safer for cyclists.
Impaired driving reports were up 47 per cent on P.E.I. in 2018
August 3, 2019, The Guardian (CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I.)
The number of impaired drivers reported in P.E.I. went up 47 per cent in 2018, a Statistics Canada report says. According to the July 22 report, it’s the highest percentage increase across Canada, with no other province breaking into double digits.
Statistics Canada analyst Warren Silver said it’s proportioned per 100,000 people. The Island population was estimated around 155,000 people as of April 2019.
Distracted driving main cause of injury on Sask. roads, tougher penalties considered
August 2, 2019, Global News (REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN)
Saskatchewan roadways continue to see a declining number of injuries and fatalities, but both those figures remain above the national average, according to preliminary data in SGI’s annual death and injury report.
“The statistics we’re going to talk about this morning are much more than numbers on a spread sheet. We’re talking about actual human beings,” Minister responsible for SGI Joe Hargrave said.
Sarah Leamon: B.C. police go their own way when it comes to enforcing cannabis-driving law
August 2, 2019, The Georgia Straight (VANCOUVER, B.C.)
It’s been nearly a year since cannabis was legalized, but there have been zero—count that, zero—cannabis-related driving offences laid under our new criminal law…in B.C. at least.
The same cannot be said for the rest of Canada. Ontario has seen 100 cannabis-impaired driving charges under the Criminal Code, while Quebec has seen 32…
Progress Report: Fewer road injuries and fatalities in 2018 compared to 10-year average
August 2, 2019, SGI (REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN)
The number of people hurt or killed in traffic collisions on Saskatchewan roads continues to trend downwards, with substantially lower numbers in 2018 than the previous 10-year average.
Preliminary data for 20181 from SGI indicates there were 4,220 people injured and 129 people killed due to vehicle collisions on public roads in Saskatchewan. This represents a 34 per cent drop in injuries and a nine per cent drop in deaths, compared to the yearly averages from 2008-2017 (injuries: 6,353; deaths: 142).
Canadian Events & Conferences in 2019 & 2020
Road Safety & Simulation Conference
Iowa City, Iowa
October 14-17, 2019
University Student Opportunities
CARSP Website Postings
Various Dates
6th Ontario Road Safety Forum
Toronto, Ontario
October 17, 2019
CCMTA Annual Meeting
Charlottetown, PEI
May 31-June 3, 2020
6th International Symposium on Highway Geometric Design
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
June 28-July 1, 2020