Road Safety Country Profiles
Canada 2023

Overview
In 2021, Canada reported 1 768 road deaths, a reduction of 14.8% compared to 2012. Somewhat
unlike what was observed in other countries, in 2020, Canada only experienced a slight decreasein road deaths (1 746), even though it was at the height of Covid-19 restrictions. However, thenumber of casualty road collisions did decrease significantly by approximately 30% during thistime. In 2021, the number of vehicle-kilometres driven and fatalities were back to pre-covid levels(2019). Canada has adopted the Vision Zero approach as an inspirational goal. The fourth nationalroad safety plan, the Road Safety Strategy (RSS) 2025, was launched in 2016. This plan has agreater emphasis on vehicle technologies and roadway infrastructure.
Quick facts: Canada (all data from 2021, unless otherwise stated)
Population

38.9 million (2022)

GDP per capita

USD 54 966 (2022)

Road network

1 304 100 km
26.2 million

Total numberof motor
vehiclesVolumetrafficof

Speed limits

Limits on blood
alcohol content

Cars

Motorcycles

Goods vehicles

Buses

92%

3%

5%

0.2%

+31.7% (2000-22)
Urban roads

Rural roads

Motorways

40-70 km/h

80-90 km/h

100-110 km/h

General drivers

Professional drivers

Novice drivers

0.8 grams/litre (g/l);
administrative maximum
level of 0.5 g/l or 0.4 g/l inmost provinces

0.0 g/l in most provinces

0.0 g/l in most provinces

1 768
Road fatalities

Pedestrians

Cyclists

Car occupants

Motorised twowheelers

Other
and
unknown

17%

3%

57%

13%

10%

Road fatalities
per 100 000
population

4.6

Road fatalities
per 10 000
vehicles0.7

Cost of roadcrashes

1.8% of GDP

Short-term trends
Road deaths in 2022
In 2022, Canada recorded 1 934 road deaths, a 9.4% increase compared to 2021. Total road deathsin 2020 and 2021 were low when the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent mobility restrictions hit
the country. However, in 2022, road deaths increased by 4.4% compared to the average in 201719.
Table 1. Road fatalities in Canada, 2017-2022
2017

2018

2019

Average2017-19

2020

2021

2022

2022 compared with2017-19 average

January

120

139

116

125

126

108

106

-15.2%

February

93

118

92

101

103

83

104

3.0%

March

123

115

95

111

84

87

96

-13.5%

April

117

135

97

116

79

99

114

-2.0%

May

135

162

135

144

130

157

151

4.9%

June

142

201

170

171

171

152

181

5.8%

July

217

214

189

207

194

170

247

19.5%

August

203

202

199

201

212

220

245

21.7%

September

184

172

168

175

195

164

172

-1.5%

October

200

179

176

185

172

221

203

9.7%

November

153

166

175

165

161

166

162

-1.6%

December

174

136

144

151

119

141

153

1.1%

1 861

1 939

1 756

1 852

1 746

1 768

1 934

4.4%

Total

Road deaths in 2021
Mobility and road safety in Canada were significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic that hit
the world in 2020. Figure 1 illustrates the number of road deaths in 2020, 2021 and 2022 comparedto the linear trend before the pandemic. It shows that road death figures for 2020 and 2021 werevery much below the trend.
Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on mobility and road crashes, the data for 2020 and
2021 represent a poor reference point for benchmarking. Therefore, for short-term trends, thisreport compares data for 2022 and 2021 with the average for 2017-19.
Canada recorded 1 768 road deaths in 2021, a decrease of 4.5% compared to the average for 201719. The number of motorcyclists and cyclists killed respectively increased by 15% and 14%, while
the number of car occupants and pedestrians killed decreased respectively by 10% and 2%. Road
deaths strongly decreased (-27%) among young people aged 18-20 (Figure 2).

In 2021, Canada had a mortality rate of 4.6 road deaths per 100 000 population (5 in 2022). The
fatality risk was 0.7 road deaths per 10 000 registered vehicles and 4.3 road deaths per billion
vehicle kilometres (Figures 3, 4 and 5).
Figure 6 illustrates the breakdown of the fatalities by user category, and Figure 7 shows thebreakdown by type of road.
Young people aged 21 to 24 are the most at risk in road traffic, with a mortality rate of 7.2 deaths
per 100 000 population. The second group the most at risk is the senior population, characterised
as above the age of 75 (Figure 8).
Figure 1. Road fatalities in Canada in 2020 and 2021 compared to the linear trend since
2012

2 000
1 934
1 900

1 800

1 768
1 746
2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Road deaths

2017

2018

2019

Trends 2012-2022

2020

2021

2022

Norw ay0

Colombia

Costa Rica

United States

Chile

Argentina

Age group

SerbiaNew Zealand

GreecePortugal

Luxembourg

Hungary

Italy

Korea

PolandCzechia

FranceCanadaUser category

Belgium

Lithuania

Australia

Netherlands

Austria

Slovenia

Spain

IsraelFinlandGermany

Ireland

Sw itzerland

United Kingdom

DenmarkJapan

Iceland

Sw eden

Motorw ays

Rural roads

Urban roads

75+

65-74

25-64

21-24

18-20

15-17

0-14

PTW

Passenger cars

Cyclists

Pedestrians

Figure 2. Evolution of road fatalities in Canada by user category, age group and road type,2021 compared to the average 2017-19

10

0

-10

-20

-30

Road type

Total number of road deaths

Figure 3. Road fatalities per 100 000 inhabitants in Canada compared to other IRTAD
countries, 2022

16

12

8
5

4

0

Czechia

PolandUnited States

Korea

New Zealand

Slovenia

IsraelFranceColombia

Chile

Costa Rica*

SerbiaArgentina

United States*

Hungary

New Zealand

Korea

IsraelGreece*Belgium

Luxembourg

Canada*FrancePoland*Czechia

Lithuania

Netherlands

Italy

Australia

Slovenia

Austria

Germany

Spain

Denmark

United Kingdom

Finland

Sw itzerland

Japan

Sw eden1

Japan

Austria

Netherlands

Finland

Australia

CanadaGermany

Great Britain

Ireland

Sw itzerland

Sw edenDenmark

Iceland

Norw ay

Iceland0

Norw ay

Figure 4. Road fatalities per 10 000 vehicles in Canada compared to other IRTAD countries,
2022
5

4

3

2

0.7

Note: in Belgium, Denmark, Germany and Hungary, registered vehicles do not include mopeds. * 2021 data.

Figure 5. Road fatalities per billion vehicle-kilometres in Canada compared to other IRTAD
countries, 2021
12

9

6
4.4

3

Figure 6. Road fatalities in Canada by user category, 2021

Others incl. unknow n 10%
Pedestrians 17%

Cyclists 3%
Moped riders 0%

Motorcyclists 13%

Passenger car occupants 57%

Figure 7. Road fatalities in Canada by road type, 2021

Unknow n 20%
Urban roads 33%

Motorw ays 16%

Rural roads 31%

Figure 8. Road fatality rate in Canada by user category and age group, 2021
Rate per 100 000 population in the same age group
8

6

4

2

0

0-14

15-17

18-20

21-24

25-64

65-74

Pedestrians

Moped riders

Passenger car occupants

Cyclists

Motorcyclists

Other users incl. unknow n

75+

Road safety data 2012-21
Between 2012 and 2021, road deaths decreased by 14.8%. During the same period, traffic volume(in vehicle-kilometres) increased by 22% and the number of registered vehicles by 20.1% (Table 2
and Figure 9).
The number of road deaths decreased for cyclists (-24.2%), car occupants (-23.2%) andpedestrians (-6.4%) and increased by 31.4% for motorcyclists (Figure 10).
The number of road deaths decreased for all age categories except for the 65-74 age group, forwhich an increase of 13.5% was observed. The young people experienced the largest reduction: 62.3% for the 18-20, -35% for the 15-17 and -29.6% for the 21-24 (Figure 10).
Road mortality decreased on all road types, with the strongest decrease on motorways (-20.6%).
Road deaths were only reduced by 4% on urban roads (Figure 10).

Table 2. Crash, casualty and traffic data in Canada, 2012-21
2012

2019

2020

Evolution
2012-21

2021

Reported safety data
Fatalities

2 075

1 756

1 746

1 768

-14.8%

Injury crashes

124 682

104 460

79 99083 590-33.0%

Injured persons hospitalised

10 725

8 158

7 578

7 901

-26.3%

Deaths per 100 000 population

6.0

4.7

4.6

4.6

-22.6%

Deaths per 10 000 registered vehicles

0.9

0.7

0.7

0.7

-27.3%

Deaths per billion vehicle-kilometres

6.1

4.3

4.6

4.3

-29.1%

Pedestrians

328

301

286

307

-6.4%

Cyclists

62

39

51

47

-24.2%

Moped riders

6

3

5

3

-50.0%

Motorcyclists

169

192

237

227

34.3%

1 318

1 162

1 010

1 012

-23.2%

192

153

157

172

-10.4%

0-14 years

67

44

48

54

-19.4%

15-17 years

100

58

49

65

-35.0%

18-20 years

199

78

90

75

-62.3%

21-24 years

203

141

157

143

-29.6%

25-64 years

1 109

986

1 021

1 024

-7.7%

65-74 years

171

438

184

194

13.5%

≥ 75 years

217

223

190

197

-9.2%

Urban roads

606

578

544

582

-4.0%

Rural roads

675

563

585

547

-19.0%

Motorways

350

265

252

278

-20.6%

Vehicle kilometres (million)

340 475

410 631378 046409 029

20.1%

Registered vehicles (thousands)

22 36625 42625 74426 224

17.2%

Registered vehicles per 1 000 population

643.6

676.2

676.8

685.7

6.5%

Fatalities by road user

Passenger car occupants
Other road users
Fatalities by age group

Fatalities by road type

Traffic data

Figure 9. Evolution of road fatalities, injury crashes, motorisation, traffic and GDP in
Canada, 2012-21
Index 2012 = 100
120

100

80

2012

2013

2014

Fatalities

2015

2016

2017

Injury crashes

2018

Motor vehicles

2019

2020

Vehicle-km

2021

2022

GDP

Figure 10. Evolution of road fatalities in Canada by user category, age group and roadtype, 2012-2021

20

0

-20

-40

User category

Age group
Total number of road deaths

Road type

Motorw ays

Rural roads

Urban roads

75+

65-74

25-64

21-24

18-20

15-17

0-14

PTW

Passenger cars

Cyclists

Pedestrians-60

Safety performance indicators
Speed
In 2021, approximately 25% of fatal crashes involved speeding. Casualty data in 2021 indicated a
6.5% increase in speed-related crashes compared to the 2006-2010 period.
Table 3 summarises the main speed limits for passenger cars in Canada.
Table 3. Passenger car speed limits by road type in Canada, 2023
General speed limit
Urban roads

40-70 km/h

Rural roads

80-90 km/h

Motorways

100-110 km/h

Drink driving
In 2021, statistics from the National Collision Database showed that approximately one in fivefatal collisions were reported to have alcohol involvement as a contributing factor.
Information on the presence of alcohol is collected on police crash report forms. Still, as the data
are not always reliable, a surrogate is used for instances of deaths of drivers and pedestrians
involving alcohol and drugs. The percentage of fatally injured drivers who were tested for alcoholand drugs is applied to all motor vehicle deaths to estimate the percentage of all deaths that werealcohol- or drug-related. Concerning injury crashes, any police report which indicates alcohol or
any crashes that fit a surrogate model are identified as alcohol-related.
Under the Criminal Code of Canada, the maximum permissible blood alcohol content (BAC) whendriving is less than 0.8 g/l. However, most provinces and territories have an administrative
maximum level of 0.5 g/l (0.4 g/l in Saskatchewan, and in Quebec, the 0.5 g/l limit only applies tocommercial vehicles). In addition, most provincial/territorial jurisdictions have a zero BAC limit
for young (under 21) and/or novice drivers.
Penalties under these administrative programmes are significant but do not match theseriousness of a full Criminal Code of Canada charge. Penalties in both situations increase for
repeat offenders.

Drugs and driving
On 17 October 2018, cannabis became legalised in Canada and on 18 December 2018, new laws
under the Criminal Code of Canada associated with drug-impaired driving came into force.
Provinces and territories have updated their administrative sanctions in response to thesechanges. The Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) recognises that thelegal changes brought forth by cannabis legalisation will have far-reaching implications forjurisdictions. Legalisation will have multiple impacts – from information and technology systems

to the training of personnel to legislative, regulatory, enforcement and program changes – thatwill require changes so that they align with and support federal legislation.
There are two prohibited levels for THC, the primary psychoactive component of cannabis: it is aless serious offence to have between 0.002 g/l and 0.005 g/l of THC. It is a more serious offence
to have 0.005 g/l of THC or more. In December 2019, new regulations for producing and selling
edible and topical products came into force.
The prohibited level of alcohol and cannabis, when found in combination, is 0.05 g/l or more ofalcohol and 0.0025 g/l or more of THC.
Transport Canada, in co-operation with provincial and territorial jurisdictions, regularly conducts
roadside surveys to assess the rates of impaired driving by alcohol or drugs during night-time
periods. Some daytime surveys have also taken place. The Traffic Injury Research Foundation
maintains the Fatality Database, which tracks toxicology results on fatally injured pedestrians anddrivers in motor vehicle collisions.

Use of mobile phones while driving
Individual provinces and territories regulate the use of mobile phones or other electronic devices
while driving. Penalties include fines, licence demerit points and the possibility of licencesuspension.
According to data from Transport Canada's National Collision Database, distracted driving,
including distractions from using mobile phones, contributed to an estimated 19.7% of fatal
collisions and 26% of serious injury collisions in 2021. These statistics are part of an upward trendof distracted driving-related collisions, up from 16.9% of fatal collisions and 21% of serious injury
collisions from the 2006-2010 period.
The Minister of Transport chaired a National Roundtable on Distracted Driving in Montreal on 28
June 2018. The Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association, the Global Automakers of Canada
and the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association made presentations. The meeting
culminated in an agreement to develop a national action plan based on the foundational work of
the CCMTA, emphasising early deliverables concerning research and data collection.

Fatigue
The share of sleepiness and fatigue as a causal factor in crashes is especially challenging todetect.

Seat belt and helmet use
Seat belt use was made compulsory in Canadian jurisdictions between 1976 and 1988. The laws
around using seat belts and child restraints are provincial or territorial. All provinces andterritories have laws in place mandating the use of child restraints since the 1980s, and they areoccasionally updated. In most cases, the driver is responsible for ensuring that a child is correctly
restrained.

Seat belt use in Canada over the last several years was approximately 95%. A 2016 urban surveyof front seat occupants in Canada indicates seat belt wearing rates held at 97.5%. However, morethan 30% of occupants killed in 2018 were unbelted at the time of the crash. This represents aslight improvement since 2011 when 31% of occupants killed were unbelted.
Helmet use is compulsory for all riders of powered two-wheelers, whereas helmet use by cyclists
is only mandatory in some jurisdictions.

Cost of road crashes
Road traffic collisions represent a high cost for Canada, estimated in 2021 at 1.8% of GDP.
Table 4. Cost of road crashes in Canada, 2021
Unit Cost (2010 CAD)

Total cost (2010 CAD)

Fatalities

9 068 269

16.03 billion

Hospitalised

1 316 226

10.40 billion

Slight injuries

33 631

3.27 billion

Property damage costs

9 584

4.22 billion

Other

6 129

2.70 billion

Total
Total as % of GDP

36.62 billion
1.8 %Road safety management and strategy
Developments in road safety
Increased efforts by key stakeholders contributed to the overall progress by developing andimplementing road safety strategies, plans and countermeasures that focused on key areas ofconcern, such as speeding, impaired driving and unbelted occupants. Other contributors include
improvements in vehicle safety features and equipment.
The overall long-term progress was achieved despite ongoing growth in the Canadian population,
the number of licensed drivers, the number of registered vehicles and vehicle kilometrestravelled.
Regarding progress made on national road safety plans, the progress achieved in the closing
years of the Road Safety Vision 2010 has kept its momentum going throughout the Road Safety
Strategy 2015 and into the new strategy in 2025.

Governance of road safety
In Canada, the responsibility for road safety is divided among different levels of government andother road safety and private sector partners.

Federal, provincial and territorial departments responsible for transport and highway safety work
together through various committees and associations that report to the Council of Ministers
responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety. This council is assisted by the Council of
Deputy Ministers responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety. Within this structure, fourcommittees co-ordinate multi-jurisdictional views and efforts (Canadian Council of Motor
Transport Administrators, Engineering and Research Support Committee, Task Force on Vehicle
Weights and Dimensions, and the Policy and Planning Support Committee). In addition, theTransportation Association of Canada, which includes several municipal partners, addresses
infrastructure issues.
This structure is designed to promote national consistency, provide a platform to share
information and assist jurisdictions in addressing issues within their specific mandate. Ultimately,
the responsibility for implementation remains with the appropriate jurisdictions.
The Federal Government is responsible for regulations and standards related to manufacturing
and importing motor vehicles, tyres and child restraints. Provincial and territorial governments
are responsible for licensing drivers, registering vehicles, and administering justice andjurisdictional road safety programmes. They are also responsible for policies and regulations
regarding the roadways. In many cases, the road authority responsible for road operations may
be regional or municipal governments, which must operate within provincial guidelines.

National road safety strategy
Canada's fourth national road safety plan, the Road Safety Strategy (RSS) 2025, was launched by
the Council of Ministers responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety in early 2016. The
goal remains to achieve downward trends in fatalities and serious injuries throughout a five-year
duration, comparing multi-year rolling averages with the established baseline period. There is no
hard quantitative target.
The plan has a greater emphasis on vehicle technologies and roadway infrastructure. Canada has
adopted the Vision Zero approach as an inspirational goal. A database of proven and promisingroad safety initiatives is maintained as a part of the strategy, and each jurisdiction is encouraged
to develop its road safety plan based on regional needs and conditions.
The aspirational goal of RSS 2025 is zero fatalities and serious injuries. With assistance fromTransport Canada, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators reports annually on
progress toward fatality and injury reduction goals. Several rate-based measures focus onprogress in specific areas such as impaired driving, speeding and unbelted occupants.
Efforts will begin shortly to develop a successor plan that continues beyond 2025.

Latest road safety measures
Stunt Driving Laws in many provinces have higher penalties and vehicle impounding.
Canada strengthened Impaired Driving legislation, including three cannabis offences, increasedfines and faster access to approved ignition interlock programs.

Research and resources
Websites
Transport Canada: http://www.tc.gc.ca/
Road Safety Strategy 2025: http://roadsafetystrategy.ca/en/
Road Safety in Canada 2020: https://tc.canada.ca/en/road-transportation/publications/roadsafety-canada-2020
National Collision Database online Web application: https://wwwapps2.tc.gc.ca/Saf-SecSur/7/NCDB-BNDC/p.aspx?l=en
Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF): https://tirf.ca/
Transport Association of Canada: https://www.tac-atc.ca/

Definition, methodology, data collection
Term

Definition

Road death

A person who died immediately or within 30 days of a crash.

Person seriously injured

A person admitted to the hospital for treatment or observation.

Person slightly injured

If "minimal", no immediate medical attention was required, but would
include minor abrasions, bruises and complaint of pain. If "minor", theperson went to the hospital and was treated but not admitted.

Transport Canada has a well-established road safety data program and has been reporting on
motor vehicle crash statistics since the 1970s. Police-reported road traffic crash information iscollected and processed by provinces and territories. It is then sent to Transport Canada for final
processing and compilation of national crash statistics.
Transport Canada considers the motor vehicle crash data relevant, of good quality overall andreliable for most analytical purposes. However, there are areas for improvement as some specificdata variables are not provided by certain jurisdictions or consistently reported by all. In somecases where data has not been received from all jurisdictions within Canada, methodologies areused to ensure that national estimates take into account any non-reporting.
Transport Canada is currently working with provincial and territorial road safety partners inelectronic data collection and other initiatives to improve the timeliness and accuracy of motor
vehicle crash data. Efforts are also being made to create methodologies to potentially estimate
missing collision data to improve overall quality.
Currently, serious injury data are collected through the same reporting mechanism as for all
crash data. Transport Canada is in the initial stages of trying to improve the quality of the injury
data. It is currently undertaking an environmental scan and consultation process as part of its
efforts.

The National Collision Database online web application is a query tool that contains national-levelstatistics on vehicle crashes occurring on public roads in Canada. Approximately 23 of the data
elements in the National Collision Database are available to users to select and extract data ofinterest.

About the IRTAD Database
The IRTAD Database includes road safety data, aggregated by country and year from 1970
onwards. It provides an empirical basis for international comparisons and more effective roadsafety policies.
The IRTAD Group validates data for quality before inclusion in the database. At present, thedatabase includes validated data from 35 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium,
Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,
Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands,
New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United
Kingdom and the United States.
The data is provided in a common format based on definitions developed and agreed by the
IRTAD Group. Selected data is available for free; full online access requires IRTAD membership.
Access the IRTAD Database via the OECD statistics portal:
https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=IRTAD_CASUAL_BY_AGE

About the International Transport ForumThe International Transport Forum (ITF) is an intergovernmental organisation with 66 member
countries that organises global dialogue for better transport. It acts as a think tank for transport
policy and hosts the Annual Summit of transport ministers. The ITF is the only global body thatcovers all transport modes. The ITF is administratively integrated with the OECD, yet politicallyautonomous.
www.itf-oecd.org

About the IRTAD GroupThe International Traffic Safety Data and Analysis (IRTAD) Group is the ITF's permanent working
group for road safety. It brings together road safety experts from national road administrations,road safety research institutes, international organisations, automobile associations, insurancecompanies, car manufacturers, etc. With 80 members and observers from more than 40
countries, the IRTAD Group is a central force in promoting international co-operation on roadcrash data and its analysis.
www.itf-oecd.org/irtad

Disclaimer
The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official
views of International Transport Forum member countries. This document and any map included
herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitationof international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.
Data in this country profile have been provided by countries to the database of the International
Traffic Safety Data and Analysis (IRTAD) Group. Where data has not been independently validatedby IRTAD, this is indicated.
Read more country profiles online:
https://www.itf-oecd.org/road-safety-annual-report-2023
Last updated: 27 September 2023

© OECD/ITF 2024

Cite this work as: ITF (2024), "Canada: Road Safety Country Profile 2023", OECD Publishing, Paris.

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