No. H 158/09
For release - November 18, 2009
OTTAWA — Canada's Transport Minister John Baird today released the following statement to mark the second annual National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims.
"The National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims is a day to remember those Canadians who have lost their lives in road collisions, as well as those injured on our roads. On this occasion, I would like to offer my condolences to all Canadians who have lost loved ones or been personally injured in such collisions.
"Observing this day helps raise awareness of the almost 3,000 fatalities and 200,000 injuries from road crashes that occur every year in Canada. It honours the memory of victims of these crashes and reminds us all of the importance of driving safely.
"Most traffic collisions are avoidable. In addition to the obvious effect they have on the immediate victims, they also touch the lives of family, friends and colleagues. We need to work together to reduce these senseless tragedies. Making conscious decisions — such as not drinking and driving, not speeding and always wearing a seatbelt — can help improve road safety across the country.
"To help achieve this, the Government of Canada, along with all provincial and territorial partners, adopted Road Safety Vision 2010, a national road safety initiative to make our roads the safest in the world. We are seeing positive results. The number of Canadian road users who died in collisions in 2008 dropped by 14 per cent from 2007 — the lowest death toll on Canadian roads in almost 60 years. This marks a dramatic step towards our goal of reducing fatalities by 30 per cent by 2010 compared with the period from 1996 to 2001.
"Our government is committed to improving road safety and protecting the lives of Canadians on our roads, and we have taken steps to ensure this happens. For example, we recently introduced tougher proposed child car seat standards and proposed a requirement that electronic stability control be installed on all new vehicles sold in Canada as of September 1, 2011. We have also passed strict street-racing laws and have introduced legislation to crack down on drug-impaired driving.
"We are working hard to achieve our goal of greater road safety for the benefit of all Canadians."
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To learn more about how you can contribute to making our roads the safest in the world, please visit Transport Canada's website at www.tc.gc.ca/mediaroom/backgrounders/b00-r001.htm.
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