No. H014/04 For release April 6, 2004 OTTAWA - Transport Minister Tony Valeri today encouraged Canadians to be more cautious on our roads, in recognition of World Health Day, which this year focuses on road safety. Each year, road traffic collisions take the lives of 1.2 million men, women and children around the world, and seriously injure millions more. In Canada, almost 3,000 people lost their lives on our roads in 2002 ¿ the equivalent of a small town. "Canada has one of the best road safety records in the world, but we need to continue our efforts to reduce road fatalities and injuries because they are preventable," said Mr. Valeri. "Transport Canada is working with its partners to reduce injuries and fatalities by 30 per cent and make Canada's roads the safest in the world by 2010." On April 7, countries around the world are celebrating World Health Day. The slogan Road safety is no accident was chosen in recognition of the grave consequences of road traffic collisions and their enormous costs to society. While governments, police forces, safety organizations and others are all working together to improve road safety, there are some simple things Canadians can do to prevent deaths and injuries on our roads such as: Wear your seatbelt. Almost 40 per cent of all vehicle occupants killed were not wearing a seatbelt. So whether you're a driver or passenger, buckle up. Don't drink and drive. Alcohol is a significant contributing factor in road fatalities. Almost two out of every five drivers killed had been drinking. Slow down. Excessive speed is a contributing factor in 20 per cent of occupant fatalities. Pay attention ¿ don't drive while distracted. Cell phones and other devices such as on-screen maps and DVDs are emerging as factors in road accidents. If you must use these devices in your car, pull over first. Obey pedestrian crossing signals. In 2002, 360 pedestrians were killed in Canada. Wear your helmet while cycling or riding a motorcycle. One hundred and seventy-two motorcyclists and 64 bicyclists lost their lives in 2002. To learn more about road safety, visit http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/menu.htm -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.
