Motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death in Canada for persons aged 15-24 (Public Health Agency of Canada 2012, p.10). Of concern, a significant number of fatally injured drivers aged 16-19 test positive for either alcohol or drugs. To increase understanding of this problem, State Farm has sponsored this fact sheet that contains the latest data about trends as well as the characteristics of drivers and crashes involving fatally injured drivers aged 16-19 who test positive for alcohol or other drugs. The data that were analysed to inform this 2015 fact sheet and the previous 2014 fact sheet are based upon the Traffic Injury Research Foundation’s (TIRF) National Fatality Database (TIRF 2014). There are some differences in the data in this 2015 fact sheet compared to the 2014 edition. The 2011 and 2012 fatality data from British Columbia were not available at the time the 2015 fact sheet was prepared. As a result, Canadian data presented in this fact sheet have been re-calculated to exclude this jurisdiction and make equitable comparisons. This fact sheet summarizes the number and percent of fatal crashes with drivers who are positive for alcohol and drugs. It also examines fatal crash and driver characteristics in accordance with sex, age and temporal factors. Trends and characteristics examined in this fact sheet span a 13-year period (2000 to 2012). Fatally injured drinking drivers are defined as individuals who test positive for alcohol as measured by blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Fatally injured drivers include drivers who test positive for drugs which may include: * cannabis; * other illicit drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy (MDMA); or, * over-the-counter or prescription drugs. (Author/publisher)
Abstract