Warning of the dangers of driving and drinking in Himachal Pradesh, India. Photo: John Hill.
The Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) has produced a fact sheet summarizing findings on self-reported drinking and driving in Canada.
This fact sheet is based on the Road Safety Monitor (RSM) 2016 poll conducted by TIRF, a national, Canadian independent road safety research institute, in partnership with Beer Canada, the Toyota Canada Foundation, and, State Farm.
The results indicate that while progress has been made to curb drinking and driving, continued attention and monitoring is needed to avoid losing ground.
“We are able to use the RSM poll results as an ‘early warning’ system with respondents helping us identify that progress may be lost if we do not remain vigilant,” explains Steve Brown, TIRF research associate.
Recent trends in the number of alcohol-related road deaths and the percentage of total road deaths, that are attributed to drinking drivers in Canada (except British Columbia), indicate that progress in reducing drinking and driving has been achieved, at least until 2013, which is the most recent year for which fatality data are available.
In 2016, more than two-thirds (71 per cent) of respondents cited drinking and driving as an issue of concern on the public agenda, which was the highest percentage of any societal issues that were presented to the respondents.
Download Fact Sheet: New Road Safety Monitor 2016: Drinking and Driving in Canada