Collision Fatalities
Definition
Collision victims tracks the number of traffic accidents resulting in fatalities.
Why This Matters
The number of fatalities reflects the safety of the road infrastructure, the provision of safe vehicles, law enforcement, mobility planning, the provision of health and hospital services, child welfare services, and urban and environment planning (World Health Organization and World Bank, 2004). Factors leading to road traffic fatalities include car safety features, the design of the built environment, road conditions, time of day, and driver behaviour (seatbelt use, drug and alcohol use, use of cell phones while driving, etc.).
Although complex, road safety is an important public health issue. In a jointly produced report, the World Health Organization and the World Bank (2004), demonstrate that road traffic injuries disproportionately affects vulnerable groups of road users including the poor, with more than half the people killed being young adults between 15 and 44 years of age who are often the breadwinners of their family. Another reason for concern is that road traffic injuries pose a significant burden on our health care system in terms of emergency treatment, chronic care and rehabilitation (Ramage-Morin, 2008).
Around the world, millions of people die or are severally injured every year due to traffic accidents. In contrast to the scale of human suffering, road safety efforts are described as minimal (World Health Organization and World Bank, 2004). In Canada, road traffic accidents a responsible for approximately 2,000 fatalities and 11,500 serious injuries annually.
Measurement and Limitations
The data used for this indicator changed in 2011 as a result of changes to reporting requirements. From 1995 to October 2011, only police-reported collisions were included in the figures. From October 2011 onwards: collision claims registered with Manitoba Public Insurance result in a Traffic Accident Report being completed, as long as the accident occurred on a public roadway and it meets the other requirements of being a collision. This has resulted in a significant increase in the number of collisions recorded, particularly accidents resulting in property damage and/or minor injuries. To handle the change, data from 2012 onwards has been presented separately.
Data Source
Manitoba Public Insurance. (2021). 2021 Traffic Collision Statistics Reports
Older Reports are available via Manitoba Public Insurance: Traffic Collision Statistics Reports
Data is updated on Peg as it becomes available from the data providers.
References
Ramage-Morin, P.L. (2008) Motor Vehicle Accident Deaths 1979-2004. Statistics Canada Health Reports, Volume 19 (No 3).
Transport Canada (2011). Road Safety in Canada. Retrieved from: http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/tp-tp15145-1201.htm
Transport Canada (n.d.). Motor Vehicle Safety. Retrieved from: http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/menu.htm
World Health Organization and World Bank (2004). World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention. Retrieved from: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2004/9241562609.pdf?ua=1
Collision Fatalities in the Sustainable Development Goals
Click on the SDG to reveal more information
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being for all at all ages is essential to sustainable development. Significant strides have been made in increasing life expectancy and reducing some of the common killers associated with child and maternal mortality. Major progress has been made on increasing access to clean water and sanitation, reducing malaria, tuberculosis, polio and the spread of HIV/AIDS. However, many more efforts are needed to fully eradicate a wide range of diseases and address many different persistent and emerging health issues.
Related Collision Fatalities Targets
By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents