Collision Victims
Definition
Number of fatalities and serious injuries resulting from traffic collisions.
Why This Matters
Around the world, millions of people die or are severally injured every year due to traffic accidents. Globally road traffic crashes result in 1.19 million deaths (WHO, 2023), while in Canada, in 2022, there were 1,931 fatalities and 8,851 serious injuries as a result of motor vehicle collisions (Statistics Canada, 2024).
Although complex, road safety is an important public health issue. The number of fatalities and serious injuries 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. 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.).
This indicator is particularly important for assessing risks faced by vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, and highlights the need for infrastructure that prioritizes their safety.
By tracking this indicator, policymakers, urban planners, and transportation authorities can identify high-risk areas, implement targeted safety improvements, and promote policies that enhance road design, traffic management, and overall transportation safety.
Measurement and Limitations
The data reflects the number of fatalities and serious resulting from traffic collisions, not the number of fatal collisions. For example, if two people were killed during a single fatal collision this indicator would present the number of people killed as a result of the collision. This indicator does not differentiate as to whether the collision victim was a pedestrian, cyclist or driver/passenger of a vehicle.
As stated by Manitoba Public Insurance in the 2022 Traffic Collision Statistics Report:
“Motor vehicle collisions resulting in a fatality, injury or property damage only are required by law to be reported to either a law enforcement agency and/or to Manitoba Public Insurance. The collision incidents reported through the claim registration process with Manitoba Public Insurance form the basis for the overall population of collisions that Traffic Accident Reports (TARs) could be drawn from. To be consistent with jurisdictions across Canada and in compliance with reporting standards for the National Collision Database (NCDB) maintained by Transport Canada, a “reportable collision” definition is applied as a filter to these collision incidents. It is these TAR reportable collisions that are the primary focus of this Traffic Collision Statistics Report.
The TAR reportable collision definition, for inclusion in the NCDB, includes that the crash:
- Occurred on a public roadway in Manitoba,
- Excluding crashes occurring in parking lots, on private property, crashes occurring off road, and crashes on First Nation roadways
- Including crashes involving non-Manitoba residents (due to the incident occurring in MB)
- Involved some injury (following the NCDB injury definitions) or fatality,
- Excluding crashes where death was due to natural causes, homicide, or suicide
- Excluding where the death occurred greater than 30 days after crash
- Has property damage in excess of $2,000 (combined for all parties involved) if no injury or fatality occurred.
Serious injuries are defined as persons admitted to hospital for treatment or observation following a collision.
Data Source
Manitoba Public Insurance. (2024). 2022 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
Government of Canada. (2024). Canadian Motor Vehicle Traffic COllision Statistics: 2022. Retrieved from: https://tc.canada.ca/en/road-transportation/statistics-data/canadian-motor-vehicle-traffic-collision-statistics-2022
World Health Organization (2023). Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023. Retrieved from: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/375016/9789240086517-eng.pdf?sequence=1
Collision Victims 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 Victims Targets
By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents
11. Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Cities are hubs for ideas, commerce, culture, science, productivity, social development and much more. At their best, cities have enabled people to advance socially and economically.
However, many challenges exist to maintaining cities in a way that continues to create jobs and prosperity while not straining land and resources. Common urban challenges include congestion, lack of funds to provide basic services, a shortage of adequate housing and declining infrastructure.
The challenges cities face can be overcome in ways that allow them to continue to thrive and grow, while improving resource use and reducing pollution and poverty. The future we want includes cities of opportunities for all, with access to basic services, energy, housing, transportation and more.
Related Collision Victims Targets
By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons