No. H015/04 For release April 13, 2004 OTTAWA - The 2002 Annual Report for Road Safety Vision 2010 - a long-term plan to make Canada's roads the safest in the world - was released today by Transport Canada on behalf of the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA). "The 2002 report shows that Canadian roads are safer today than they have ever been, but there are still too many road fatalities," said Transport Minister Tony Valeri. "By taking the actions and meeting the targets set out in Road Safety Vision 2010, we can save an estimated 5,000 lives over the next eight years." Over the past 14 years, the number of licensed drivers in Canada has increased from approximately 17 million to 21 million. The number of registered vehicles has also increased from approximately 16 million to 18 million. Despite these increases, fatalities and serious injuries have decreased over the same period. In 2001, Canada ranked fifth among member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, based on fatalities per billion vehicle kilometres travelled. Ahead of Canada were Great Britain, Sweden, the Netherlands and Norway. "We must keep on working hard to make our roads safer," said Mr. Valeri. "We will continue our efforts, in cooperation with the CCMTA, to achieve our goal of having the safest roads in the world." CCMTA incorporates officials from all federal, provincial and territorial governments, as well as associated members from transportation-related organizations. The report contains the Road Safety Vision 2010 action plan to improve road safety in Canada, and numerous specific targets to deal with defined problem areas. It also provides data on Canadian road accidents and international comparisons on road safety. Road Safety Vision 2001 was developed in 1996 to support the goal of Canada having the safest roads in the world. In October 2000, the Council of Ministers of Transport endorsed an extension of the program, called Road Safety Vision 2010. A backgrounder is attached with the details on the Road Safety Vision 2010 targets. Further information can be found at Transport Canada's Website. - 30 - Contact: Dan Kingsbury Transport Canada Communications, Ottawa (613) 993-0055 Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at apps.tc.gc.ca/listserv/ and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada. This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons with visual disabilities. BACKGROUNDER ROAD SAFETY VISION 2010 TARGETS Travel on Canada's roads is safer now than it has been for decades. However, Transport Canada and its partners in the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) - an association of government, public and private stakeholders - are working together to make road travel even safer by implementing Road Safety Vision 2010. This vision is a national plan aimed at making Canada's roads the safest in the world and encompasses a broad range of initiatives that focus on road users, roads, vehicles and carriers. Road Safety Vision 2010 aims to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries in Canada by 30 per cent during the 2008-2010 period compared to the 1996-2001 average figures. The CCMTA and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police have developed a number of specific targets designed to help reach this goal. The Road Safety Vision 2010 targets include: an increase to 95 per cent in the rate of seatbelt and child restraint use; a 20 per cent reduction in serious injuries and fatalities (down from approximately 1,100 and 160, respectively) among young drivers or riders between the ages of 16 and 19; a 20 per cent reduction in serious injuries and fatalities (down from approximately 1,700 and 570, respectively) in crashes involving commercial carriers; a 30 per cent reduction in serious injuries and fatalities (down from approximately 3,400 and 610, respectively) among pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists; and a 40 per cent reduction in serious injuries and fatalities (down from approximately 6,600 and 1,400, respectively) on rural roads. The plan also includes targets aimed at reducing the effects of high-risk driving practices, including: a 40 per cent reduction in serious injuries and fatalities (down from approximately 2,900 and 900, respectively) of occupants not wearing seatbelts; and a 40 per cent reduction in seriously and fatally injured victims (down from 18.7 per cent and 33 per cent, respectively) in crashes involving a drinking driver. April 2004
