Citation

Woods-Fry H, Vanlaar WGM, Robertson RD. Traffic Injury Research Foundation. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Traffic Injury Research Foundation, 2021.

Copyright

(Copyright 2021, Traffic Injury Research Foundation)

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Abstract

This fact sheet summarizes results from the Road Safety Monitor (RSM) related to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on road safety and travel behaviour. The COVID-19 RSM is a special edition public opinion survey conducted by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) and sponsored by Desjardins. The survey takes the pulse of the nation on key road safety issues, with a specific focus on the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on driver behaviour. The online survey was fielded to a random, representative sample of Canadians.

The objective of this fact sheet is to examine the effects of the pandemic on the road safety attitudes, beliefs, and practices of Canadians. The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most disruptive events in recent history – a public health emergency causing significant disturbances in travel behaviour and road safety. In the first 12 full months after the pandemic was declared (April 2020 to March 2021), Canadians drove 13.3% fewer kilometres than they did in the preceding 12 months (Automotive Insurers Association 2021). Increased risky driving behaviours such as speeding and impaired driving were also noted. In New Brunswick, the RCMP issued 10,818 speeding tickets in 2020, a 16.9% increase from 2019 (New Brunswick RCMP 2021). The Ontario Provincial Police saw a 40.1% increase in the percentage of stunt driving1 offences compared to 2019. Edmonton police noted a 200% increase in drivers speeding more than 50 km/h over the speed limit (Heidenreich, 2020), Saanich police saw a 700% increase in the number of cars impounded for excessive speeding (Chan, 2020), and Toronto Police reported a 35% increase in speeding tickets and an almost 200% increase in stunt driving (City of Toronto, 2020) ...