Nearly All Canadians (93%) Agree Everyone Must Do Their Part to Make Roads Safe

 According to a recent Ipsos study on behalf of Parachute, half or more say they would like to see arrests for impaired driving, police checking for impaired driving, and separate bicycle lanes to be implemented. There is less enthusiasm among reduced speed limits, with only one in five indicating they would like to see this measure in their community.

Road Safety and Dangers

• Looking at the past five years, Canadians agree there has been an increase in dangerous activity, with most saying people walking while talking on a cell phone has increased over the past five years. Canadians also indicate there has been a rise in individuals driving after using cannabis.
• Despite previous figures showing that Canadians perceive the roads as overall safe, when probed specifically on different travel methods, ratings are lower. Six in ten say the roads are safe for drivers and passengers in vehicles, while fewer find the roads safe for pedestrians (34%) or motorcyclists (24%).
• Nearly all Canadians agree that everyone must do their part to make the roads safe, with 63% strongly agreeing. As well, eight in ten (78%) agree that injuries from road crashes are preventable.

Road Safety Effectiveness

• Canadians show interest in a variety of traffic calming or enforcement measures. Half or more say they would like to see arrests for impaired driving, police checking for impaired driving, and separate bicycle lanes to be implemented.
• Turning to measures in the community, Canadians are less enthusiastic regarding reduced speed limits. Though, those aged 16-17, 35-54, 55+ are more likely to want to see reduced speed limits (30% 16-17, 25% 55+, 22% 35-54 vs 13% 18-34).

Slowing Down

• As a passenger, a majority of Canadians say they’ve felt unsafe because of speed (54%) or have in the past asked a driver to slow down (53%). Those aged 35-54 (57%) and 55+ (56%) are more likely to say they’ve asked a driver to slow down than those aged 18-34 (45%).
• However, while Canadians say that speeding is dangerous, they also indicate that this is something they do. The top-ranking attitude is exceeding the speed limit, with most indicating they’ve exceeded the speed limit on a clear highway in the past year, with over one in ten (14%) indicating they do this frequently. As well, nearly half (48 per cent) of drivers report they’ve been ticketed for speeding.
• This could be an educational opportunity as Canadians are simultaneously considering an activity dangerous, while engaging in that same action.