In Canada, responsibility for road safety is shared among the federal, provincial/territorial and municipal levels of government. The federal government is responsible for the regulation of the manufacture and importation of prescribed motor vehicles and equipment (the Motor Vehicle Safety Act), as well as the safety fitness of interprovincial motor carriers (the Motor Vehicle Transport Act). Provinces, territories and municipalities are responsible for highway development and maintenance, commercial vehicle operations, driver and vehicle licensing, and the development and implementation of local safety initiatives. The Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators along with key non-governmental agencies, such as the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the Canadian Automobile Association, also play an important role in the development and delivery of safety programs. Motor vehicles help Canadians overcome two fundamental features of the country: vast geography and harsh climate. Our country has more than 1,420,000 kilometres (two-lane equivalent kilometres) of roadway, and the roads are busier than ever. Canada had over 21 million licensed drivers in 2003 – almost 10 million more than in 1975, an 81 percent increase compared to an increase in the population of 36.8 percent. In 2003, Canadians registered 18.9 million road motor vehicles – 7.6 million more vehicles than in 1975, a 67.4 percent increase. (Author/publisher)
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