Time - Day - Month of most drinking & driving Crashes.

• Crashes happen more often in summer than winter.
• Over two-thirds of crashes occur on weekends and one-quarter of all crashes happen on Saturday.
• Over 66% of drinking/driving crashes happen between 6pm and 3 am.

Alcohol related deaths and injuries

• Impaired driving is the largest single criminal cause of death and injury in Canada.
• Over the years, alcohol involvement in victims killed in snowmobile and all terrain vehicle (ATV) crashes has been as high as 80% and as low as 73%.
• Well over half of all fatally injured in boating incidents had been drinking alcohol: Most were not wearing PFDs.

Gradual decline in drinking & driving

• The number of impaired drivers involved in crashes decreased by 44% since 1984. At the same time in Ontario, the number of licensed drivers increase d by 24%.
• Among fatally injured drivers involved in crashes in 1995, 38% were found to have been drinking. In 1984, 59% had been drinking.

Monetary costs of impaired driving

• Transport Canada (1989) reports the minimum loss to society as a result of road accidents as:
  
  • $390,000 per fatal accident.
  • $310,000 per fatality. 
  •  $12,000 per injury accident.
  • $3,600 per injured victim.
  • $3,100 per damage-only accident.
    
• Estimates include loss of income, property damage and health care costs arising from these crashes.

Effects of alcohol on driving ability

Alcohol is a depressant.

• Although alcohol may make you feel "happier" and " at peace with the world" it:

1.  Slows your reaction time
2. Affects your vision
3. Affects your perception, judgement and decision-making skills as well as the ability to coordinate them.
4. Simply said: alcohol and driving don’t mix!

Canadian comparisons

• Saskatchewan and New Brunswick had the highest rates among all provinces of "persons charged with impaired driving offences per 100,000 population". Lowest rates were found in British Columbia and Ontario. Stats Canada, 1992.
• Ontario and Quebec residents consumed the highest average number of alcoholic beverages (3.9) in a week as compared to all other provinces. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick residents consumed the least at 2.8 drinks per week. National Alcohol & Other Drugs Survey Highlights Report, 1990.

Licence suspensions

• Almost 30,000 Criminal Code licence suspensions were issued in 1992 for drinking-driving-related charges. Over one-half (59%) were repeat drinking-driving offences. Ontario Road Safety Annual Report, 1992.
• As of Dec. 5/96, when the Administrative Driver License Suspension (ADLS) program went into effect, within the first five days of its operation 432 licenses were suspended for a period of 90 days each.
  ( information from the Ministry of Transportation Ontario, M.T.O.)

 What is "BAC"?

• BAC means "blood alcohol concentration" and refers to the concentration of alcohol in a persons blood.
• The legal limit in Canada is 80 mg% or .08 percent (80 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood).
• A police officer can charge you with "impaired driving" regardless of your BAC and at .05 percent you can receive a 12-hour driving suspension. And with the new Administrative Drivers License Suspension (ADLS) law, that was introduced in Ontario on December 1/96, a driver will have their driver’s license suspended for 90 days if they blow .08 or greater or fail to give a breath sample. This is in addition to other charges which could be laid against you by the police.

Age & sex of drivers in drinking & driving crashes

• Drivers under 35 years are over represented in drinking and driving crashes when compared to their licensed driver population.
• The 16 - 24 year age group represents 14% of licensed drivers in Ontario yet accounts for 32% of drinking driver collisions and 32% of drivers involved in fatal crashes.
• However, since 1983 young driver involvement in drinking/driving crashes has been declining at a rate faster than any other age group. Drivers aged 25 - 34 have since overtaken the younger drivers, accounting for the largest proportion of alcohol-related crashes.
• Over the past decade, about 90% of all crash-involved drinking drivers were male.

Driver behavior causes most truck crashes according to FMCSA study

Drivers of large trucks and other vehicles involved in truck crashes are ten times more likely to be the cause of the crash than other factors, such as weather, road conditions, and vehicle performance according to a new study released by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The Large Truck Crash Causation Study was commissioned by FMCSA to review the causes of, and contributing factors to, crashes involving commercial motor vehicles.

While previous data focused on specific crashes and/or individual causes of crashes, this study was the first nation-wide examination of all pre-crash factors. “This study makes it clear that we need to spend more time addressing driver behavior, as well as making sure trucks and buses are fit for the road,” FMCSA Administrator Annette M. Sandberg said.

FMCSA will conduct analysis to further examine driver factors such as:

• use of prescription and over-the-counter drugs,
• speeding,
• fatigue,
• inattention,
• distractions,
• work environment, and
• unfamiliarity with the road.

The study, conducted with the help of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, investigated a national sample of fatal and injury crashes between April 2001 and December 2003 at 24 sites in 17 states. Each crash involved at least one large truck and resulted in at least one fatality or injury. The total sample of 967 crashes included 1127 large trucks, 959 non-truck motor vehicles, 251 fatalities, and 1408 injuries. Action or inaction by the driver of either the truck or other vehicle was the critical reason for 88 percent of the crashes.

The data offer unprecedented detail about the events surrounding truck crashes that is not available anywhere else. The study database eventually will be available to the public to encourage further analysis and increase the knowledge about large truck crash factors.

The new report is available at: www.fmcsa.dot.gov/facts-research/research-technology/report/ltccs-2006.htm

At least 85% of motor vehicle collisions are caused by driver error, including inattentiveness and distractions. Safety on the road requires full attention to driving.

 Cellular phones distract drivers both physically and mentally.

Drivers should not use cellular phones while a vehicle is in motion. Call answer, voice mail or call forwarding features makes it easy not to use cellular phones while driving. Calls should be made before or after embarking on a trip. During a trip, drivers should pull over and use the phone only when parked in a safe place.

If a driver must use a cell phone, hands-free features such as headsets, voice activation and voice-prompted dialing minimize many physical and mental distractions.

Placing the phone in a convenient location will allow the driver to use it without taking his or her eyes off of the road. The phone should be placed so as to stay secure, and not become a projectile, in an emergency situation. Becoming familiar with all the phone’s controls will enable the driver to use it without taking his or her eyes off the road.

If possible, calls should be placed or received by other passengers in the vehicle.

Calls should be dialed while the car is not in motion, such as while stopped at a traffic light, stop sign, or over on the side of the road.

Calls should be kept as brief as possible.

Some studies indicate that it is not only the action of placing or answering a call, but the conversation content that creates distraction. Drivers should avoid conversations that will elevate stress levels or emotions.

There are no laws banning the use of cellular phones in Ontario, but drivers can be charged with dangerous or careless driving if in a collision attributed to cell phone use.

Source By: Ontario Safety League