No. H007/11
For release - January 26, 2011
OTTAWA — Canadians are buckling up in motor vehicles now more than ever, according to survey results released today by Transport Canada.
Seatbelt usage across Canada has risen by almost three per cent in three years — approximately 95 per cent of Canadians overall buckle up, compared to 92 per cent in the previous 2006-07 surveys. The seatbelt usage rate in rural areas is lower (92 per cent) than in urban areas of the country, where it is slightly higher (95.8 per cent) than the national average.
“These surveys indicate that Canada has achieved its goal of 95 per cent seatbelt usage by 2010, a target that the federal, provincial and territorial ministers of Transport jointly set a number of years ago,” said the Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. “While this achievement is significant and encouraging, we can still strive to do better, particularly among certain segments of the population.”
The surveys suggest that seatbelt usage is lowest in pickup trucks; more females than males use seatbelts; older Canadians have a higher rate of usage than those who are younger; and back-seat occupants use seatbelts less frequently.
The 2009-10 surveys measured the seatbelt usage rate separately in rural and urban areas. Both surveys targeted all the occupants of light-duty vehicles, including passenger cars, light trucks, minivans and sport utility vehicles.
Transport Canada conducted the surveys in support of the National Occupant Restraint Program 2010, with which all the jurisdictions jointly aimed to increase seatbelt use in Canada to 95 per cent by 2010. It has been an important component of Road Safety Vision 2010, a national plan of action to make Canada’s roads the safest in the world.
In these latest surveys, a total of 97,117 vehicles and 129,371 occupants were observed at 538 sites across Canada. The surveys are available on Transport Canada’s road safety website at www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/tp-tp2436-rs201101-1149.htm.
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