Unsafe conditions result from a number of social forces which are rooted in limited access to power, economic resources and the nature of political and economic decisions. These costs of natural hazards can be broken down into social costs and economic costs. Major road accidents result mainly from wet conditions, followed by ice, snow, slush and mud. In 1992 weather-related road accidents resulted in 298 fatalities, over 23,000 personal injuries and over 72,500 property damage incidents. Deaths Canadians occasionally die as a result of atmospheric hazards.
Most deaths occur as a result of cold.
There are two fundamental economic costs associated with natural hazards - adaptive costs and impacts, response and recovery costs. Adaptive costs are those associated with protection, reduction of vulnerability or risk, education and research. These costs are difficult to estimate and little research has been devoted to increasing our understanding of these costs. Impacts, response and recovery costs are those incurred when protection fails or no adaptive response is taken. The annual area burnt suggests an upward trend with 1995 being by far the worst year with over 7 million hectares burned, followed by 1989.