The Road Safety Monitor is an annual public opinion survey by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) that takes the pulse of the nation on key road safety issues by means of a comprehensive telephone survey of a random, representative sample of Canadian drivers. The results from this fourth edition of the Road Safety Monitor are being released in a series of reports that cover several key issues. The present one focuses on young drivers. Young drivers are overrepresented in road crashes. They represent 13% of licensed drivers in Canada but account for 25% of all driver deaths and injuries. Although the number of deaths and injuries have declined, road crashes remain the leading cause of death for young people in Canada. Despite the magnitude of the problem, most Canadians do not consider young drivers to be a particularly serious road safety issue -- only 24% see young drivers as a serious or extremely serious problem. Greater concern is expressed about specific behaviours of young drivers -- 84% of Canadians are concerned about the use of alcohol and drugs by young drivers. This is despite the fact that young drivers are least likely to drive after drinking. Young drivers are more likely than older drivers to engage in a variety of other high risk driving behaviours. For example: 38% of 16 to 19 years olds report taking a risk while driving for fun. Only 12% of those age 45 to 54 report doing so; 66% of teenage drivers go driving just for the fun of it, at least occasionally. About one-third of drivers age 35 to 54 do so; over 90% of young drivers report driving in excess of the posted speed limit. The incidence of speeding decreases steadily with increasing driver age; and, three-quarters of drivers 16 to 19 say that they speed up to get through a traffic light before it changes. This behaviour also decreases progressively among older drivers. Young people report driving about 300 km in a month, well below the 1,000 km reported by older drivers. Despite the relatively low number of kilometres driven, young drivers are more likely than older drivers to receive a traffic ticket and to be involved in a collision: 20% of those age 16 to 19 report receiving a traffic ticket in the past 12 months. This compares with less than 10% among drivers 25 and over. 16% of drivers age 16 to 19 report being involved in a traffic crash in the past 12 months. This compares with 6% of drivers age 25 and over. Canadian drivers support initiatives to protect young drivers. 84% support mandatory driver education; 62% are in favour of requiring new drivers to hold a learner's permit for a minimum of 12 months; and just over half agree with improving the licensing test to ensure a new driver's ability to drive safely. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting