Burlington Road Safety Committee
Welcome!
Welcome to the Burlington Road Safety Committee's web site!
Traffic concerns are dominant in the Burlington area, and frequently top the list of community concerns.
Many studies exist which show the magnitude of the injuries, deaths, and disabilities resulting from motor vehicle crashes in Canada, Ontario, Halton and Burlington. Citizens and politicians identify motor vehicle and other road-related crashes as having a significant negative impact on our community. The loss of young life is particularly haunting.
The current public debate over automobile insurance clearly illustrates the economic and health care costs associated with motor vehicle crashes.
There are a number of effective 'best practice' programs that are known to reduce the number and severity of motor vehicle and other road-related crashes. These programs involve technology, legislation/regulation, environmental change, engineering measures and community education. You will find information about some of these programs on this web site. And the web sites listed in the 'Links' section will give you a wealth of information on many road safety topics.
Collisions Are Not 'Accidents'!
Collisions - road crashes - are not "accidents": they are predictable and preventable events.
Road crashes can be analyzed according to the age and gender of the driver, the behaviour of the driver, the weather conditions, the location, the time of day, the day of the week, and so on. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation indicates that the majority of collisions are caused by driver error. The main driver errors found in Halton Region include speeding, following too closely, failing to yield, and driver inattention.
Did You Know?
- Over the last 6 years, a cyclist or pedestrian has been involved in a motor vehicle collision on Burlington streets about once every 6 days!
- The World Health Organization reports that road crashes kill more than 3,000, disable 15,000, and injure 140,000 people on the world's roads every day.
- By the year 2020, road crashes will be the third largest cause of death world-wide.
- Injury is the leading cause of death in the 1 to 44 age group.
- Injury from motor vehicle traffic collisions can lead to death or permanent disability, including head injury and spinal cord injury.
- 2000 individuals in Ontario are injured every day --- 83 individuals every hour.
- Most collisions occur during daylight hours, and in clear weather conditions.
- Friday night has the highest incidence of fatalities due to crashes, followed by Saturday and Sunday.
Some Burlington Numbers...
Year |
Deaths |
Injuries |
Injury Collisions |
| 1997 | 6 | 599 | - |
| 1998 | 5 | 687 | - |
| 1999 | 4 | 677 | - |
| 2000 | 2 | 611 | - |
| 2001 | 1 | - | 335 |
| 2002 | 5 | - | 429 |
| 2003 | 6 | - | 476 |
| 2004 | 3 | - | 475 |
| 2005 | 5 | - | 441 |
| 2006 | 2 | - | 456 |
