Steinbach RCMP will be focusing on traffic enforcement during Canada Road Safety Week, a national campaign aimed at making Canada’s roads the safest in the world. Canada Road Safety Week takes place this year from May 12-18, 2015.
This campaign is a police initiative designed to remind people that an essential part of the enforcement job is to save lives and reduce injuries on our roadways. Educating the public about safe driving practices is a priority. The focus will be on behaviours that put drivers, passengers and other road users most at risk. These are: impaired driving, seat belt use, and all aspects related to aggressive and distracted driving. All enforcement agencies across the country have been invited to participate.
“The deaths, pain and broken hearts that result from carelessness behind the wheel can be prevented,” says Cpl. Binda of the Steinbach Detachment. “Police agencies across the country are collaborating on this initiative and asking you to choose safe behaviours while traveling on our roadways, whether you are driving or a passenger. It is incumbent upon the police and the public to work together to ensure that Canada’s roadways are the safest in the world.”
In support of Canada Road Safety Week, Steinbach RCMP will be focusing on traffic enforcement. Officers will be looking for impaired drivers, distracted drivers, failure or improper use of seat belts and aggressive driving during this period.
Canada Road Safety Week is sponsored by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) and Transport Canada and is part of Canada’s Road Safety Strategy 2015, which has a goal of making Canada’s roads the safest in the world by 2015.
Statistics:
- Statistics have shown that in 2011 the number of fatalities were 2006 and 22 per cent of the motor vehicle driver fatalities were 15 to 24 years old in 2011.
- MADD Canada estimates there are somewhere between 1250 and 1500 impairment-related crash deaths in Canada each year (3.4 – 4.1 deaths per day).
- Impaired driving is still the leading cause of criminal death in Canada.
- Contrary to popular opinion most alcohol related crashed do not occur during the winter months. The greatest number occur between May and August.
- In 2011, 31 percent of driver fatalities are a result of the driver not wearing a seatbelt. In addition, 34 percent of passenger fatalities are a result of passenger’s not wearing a seatbelt.
- Seat belts worn correctly can reduce the chances of death in a collision by 47 percent and the chances of serious injury by 52 percent.
- Driver distraction is a factor in about 4 million motor vehicle crashes in North America each year.
Crash Odds:
- Text messaging (or texting) on a cell phone – 23 times more likely
- Talking on a cell phone – 4 to 5 times more likely
- Reading – 3 times more likely
- Applying makeup – 3 times more likely
- Reaching for a moving object – 9 times more likely
- Dialing on a hand-held device – 3 times more likely
- Talking or listening on a hand-held device – 1.3 time more likely
Aggressive driving includes speeding, running red lights, tailgating, weaving in and out of traffic, and failing to yield right of way, among other behaviours.
Collision Facts:
- 27 percent of fatalities and 19 percent of serious injuries involve speeding.
- 40 percent of speeding drivers involved in fatal crashes were 16 to 24 years of age.
- Most drivers killed in speed-related crashes were the ones speeding.
- 80 percent of young adult passengers who were killed in a speeding crash were in the vehicle with a speeding driver of similar age.
