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5. A Quick Look at Intersection Crashes in Canada

A Quick Look at Intersection Crashes in Canada

Fact Sheet TP 2436E
RS-2008-06
May 2008

Road Safety and Motor Vehicle
Regulation Directorate

This report looks at fatal and serious injury intersection crashes during the years 2002-2004. Canadian road safety researchers often use the years 1996-2001 as a basis for comparison to measure the amount of progress that has been made since then. In this report, the years 2002-2004 will frequently be compared to the 1996-2001 period to see whether the situation is improving or getting worse for various aspects of intersection crashes.

Summary

• In 2002-2004, about 800 people were killed and 8,000 were seriously injured annually in intersection-related crashes. This was a small decrease from 1996-2001.
• Urban crashes account for over half of all fatalities and almost three-quarters of serious injuries from intersection crashes.
• More middle-aged motorcyclists are being killed or seriously hurt in intersection crashes.
• More pedestrians, especially seniors, are being killed in intersection crashes.
• Fewer children under 16 are being killed or seriously injured in crashes at intersections.
• Intersection-related fatalities among drivers aged 16 to 19 decreased by almost twenty percent between 1996-2001 and 2002-2004.
• Forty percent of all intersection fatalities involve a driver failing to yield the right of way or disobeying a traffic sign or signal.
• Older drivers (aged 65 years or older) are much more likely to commit an infraction leading up to an intersection crash than most other drivers.
• More deaths and serious injuries from intersection crashes are occurring during morning hours.

Introduction: Approach Intersections with Caution

Between 2002 and 2004, about 800 people were killed and 8,000 were seriously injured annually at intersections. In other words, almost 30 percent of deaths from vehicle crashes and more than 40 percent of serious injuries from vehicle crashes involved an intersection. The tragedy is that these deaths and injuries are unnecessary and mostly preventable.

Intersections pose particular challenges to road users because a lot happens at junctions. Cars, trucks, and motorcycles are traveling in various directions and making turns. Pedestrians are crossing the street. There are signs to read and traffic signals to obey. Taking in all this information and reacting correctly to it requires focused attention, sound judgment, and quick decisions by every driver.

Sometimes the intersection environment itself makes matters worse. There may be distracting visual clutter or obstructed views. Congested roads and the lack of turning lanes or signals can make a driver's job more difficult.

Intersections are often made more hazardous by the careless or risky behaviour of drivers. A driver who is distracted by a wailing child or talking on a cell phone might fail to notice a vehicle turning in front of him. A speeding driver might run through a red light. A person who's been drinking could attempt to drive home after a night on the town.

Who is Behind the Wheel?

Drivers of all ages get involved in major intersection crashes. During 2002-2004, about one in five drivers in a fatal or serious injury intersection crash was aged 35-44 years. However, there is a trend towards more involvement by drivers over 45 years.

A greater number of drivers aged 55-64 years are getting into intersection crashes because the number of licensed drivers in this age group is growing. But there is no obvious explanation why drivers aged 45-54 years are becoming involved in fatal and serious injury crashes more often.

Even though drivers 65 years and older are getting into fewer deadly intersection crashes, they are still a concern because their involvement in serious injury crashes is growing.

Who are the Victims?

Between 2002-2004, substantially fewer children under 16 years of age were killed or seriously injured in an intersection crash, compared to 1996-2001. On the other hand, a growing number of people aged 35 to 64 were dying in intersection crashes. The largest increase was among those aged 45 to 54 years.

In general, driver and passenger deaths and serious injuries from intersection crashes are slowly decreasing. Airbags and other vehicle safety features, which help protect people riding in a car or light truck, are responsible for at least part of the improvement.

Looking at driver fatalities in particular, two groups stand out in a favourable way. Intersection deaths among drivers aged 16-19 dropped almost 20% between 1996-2001 and 2002-2004. The improvement could be a result of the graduated licensing programs that most jurisdictions have adopted. In addition, intersection-related deaths among senior drivers (those aged 65 or older) decreased by about 15% over the same time period.

Although the number of drivers and passengers getting killed or seriously hurt at intersections has decreased, the picture doesn't look as rosy for motorcyclists or pedestrians. Deaths from intersection crashes increased for both types of road users between 1996-2001 and 2002-2004.

Speeding Kills

Police are reporting speeding more regularly as a factor in fatal and serious injury intersection crashes. Speeding is typically a younger person's offence. As might be expected, it is drivers under 45 years of age who are taking increased chances with speed just prior to a fatal or serious injury crash at an intersection.

During 2002-2004, the most frequent speeders were young drivers (aged 16 to 24 years). Almost one in five young drivers was speeding at the time of a fatal intersection crash, and this number was up from 1996-2001.

So Does Drinking and Driving

Between 2002 and 2004, at least 12 percent of drivers who got into a fatal intersection crash had been using alcohol. Sadly, this was a higher percentage than during 1996-2001. Drinking drivers have a huge effect on the safety of other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. Almost one in five persons killed at an intersection was in a crash that involved a drinking driver.

Young drivers were the worst offenders when it comes to drinking and driving. One in three drinking drivers who became involved in a deadly intersection crash was aged 16 to 24 years, and their number increased faster than the number from any other age group between 1996-2001 and 2002-2004.

It's been shown that a person who is willing to combine alcohol and vehicle operation is likely to do other risky things while driving. For example, about 30% of drinking drivers involved in fatal intersection crashes were also speeding, as were about 20% of those in serious injury crashes.

Breaking the Law Causes Crashes

Drivers who ignore the rules of the road are a major cause of fatal and serious injury intersection crashes. In fact, 40% of all drivers who got into a fatal or serious injury intersection crash had committed some type of driving infraction, such as disobeying traffic controls or failing to yield the right of way. That figure rises to 50% for drivers aged 16 to 24, and skyrockets to almost 70% for drivers aged 75 years and older.

Pay Attention at Intersections

At least 12% of drivers who became involved in a fatal or serious injury intersection crash were distracted and not paying enough attention to the road. Drivers aged 16 to 24 were the most likely to be distracted, followed closely by drivers aged 55 to 64.

Check the Clock

Poor lighting or bad driving conditions are rarely factors in major intersection crashes. However, intersection crashes were more likely to happen at certain points during the day. More than one in five intersection deaths and serious injuries occurred between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., which corresponds to the typical afternoon "rush hour."

Interestingly, mornings are becoming more dangerous when it comes to intersection crashes. Between 1996-2001 and 2002-2004, fatalities from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. increased by 20%, while fatalities from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. increased by 13%.

Intersections and Older Drivers

The natural process of aging may include worsening eyesight, poorer hearing, and reduced range of movement. Mental sharpness can also decrease, sometimes so gradually that it escapes notice. More time is needed to judge a situation, decide what to do, and then take the correct action.

Any of these age-related problems will hinder a driver's ability to travel safely and lawfully through an intersection. That's why senior drivers (those aged 65 years or older) seem to have more difficulty with intersections than the average driver.

Here is an example of that difficulty. Looking at drivers in general, about one in eight had failed to yield the right of way just before they got into a fatal or serious injury crash at an intersection. But when it comes to senior drivers involved in such crashes, one in four had made this dangerous error of attention and judgment.

Here's another example. One in four senior drivers in a fatal intersection crash was trying to turn left just prior to the crash. To put it in comparative terms, a driver aged 65 years or older was twice as likely as the average driver to be turning left at the time of a fatal intersection crash.

Intersections and Motorcyclists

The number of motorcyclists being killed or seriously injured in intersection crashes is rising. Although intersection-related deaths and serious injuries among motorcyclists under the age of 25 actually decreased between 1996-2001 and 2002-2004, that improvement was more than offset by a higher number of middle-aged and older victims.

Motorcycle registrations have increased substantially over the past few years, and many of the motorcycles are owned by middle-aged or baby boomer riders. This is translating into more crash victims from this age group. For example, the number of motorcyclists aged 45 to 54 years who died in intersection crashes grew by 60% and the number who were seriously injured increased by 40%. For those aged 55 to 64, fatalities have actually tripled and serious injuries more than doubled.

Motorcyclists are quite vulnerable on the road and at intersections. They can be hard for drivers to see, especially on busy urban streets, and motorcycles don't provide the same protection that occupants of cars and trucks enjoy.

Motorcyclists often add to their own risk at intersections by speeding. During 2002-2004, a motorcyclist who got into a fatal or serious injury intersection crash was three times as likely as the average driver in such a crash to be speeding.

Approaching on Foot

Pedestrians account for one in five persons killed in crashes at intersection, and, as with motorcyclists, the number of victims is increasing. Not surprisingly, most pedestrians deaths and injuries happen in urban areas. Drivers concentrating on traffic signals and the flow of vehicles sometimes fail to notice pedestrians against the backdrop of urban commotion.

Pedestrians endanger themselves by crossing against the light or ignoring their surroundings. Even so, between 1996-2001 and 2002-2004, it became more likely that the driver was at fault in the crash rather than the pedestrian. This suggests a growing carelessness on the part of drivers.

One group that is at great risk when it comes to intersection crashes is pedestrians aged 65 years or older. Seniors accounted for almost 50% of pedestrians killed in an intersection crash, up from 44% during 1996-2001. This percentage is likely to grow even higher as the baby boomer generation turns 65 years old.

The number of seniors being killed at intersections is rising steadily too, increasing by 12% between 1996-2001 and 2002-2004. Seniors are in more peril at intersections because they often have decreased sight, hearing, and alertness, making them less likely to notice vehicles coming towards them. They may take additional time to cross the street and are unable to react quickly to sudden danger. For example, older pedestrians are much more likely than the average pedestrian to be killed or seriously injured by a vehicle turning left.

Highways and Byways

A growing percentage of intersection fatalities and serious injuries are occurring in urban areas where the speed limit is 70 km/h or lower. During 2002-2004, more than half of intersection-related fatalities and almost three-quarters of serious injuries occurred in urban areas. Alcohol use among drivers who become involved in major intersection crashes was highest in urban areas.

Rural crashes on undivided roads with a speed limit of 80 km/h or higher accounted for about 40% of intersection fatalities and almost 25% of intersection serious injuries. The good news on rural roads is that intersection-related deaths of persons under the age of 25 dropped by more than 25% between 1996-2001 and 2002-2004. The number of young drivers getting into fatal crashes decreased by almost 30%. Alcohol use by drivers involved in intersection crashes also declined during the same time frame.

Only a small number of intersection deaths and serious injuries occurred on motorways with speeds of 100 km/h or higher. Driver distraction was a factor in about 20% of those fatalities and injuries, a higher percentage than in rural or urban areas. Motorways had the highest involvement of heavy trucks and buses in major intersection collisions.

Making Canada's Roads the Safest in the World

Clearly, intersections can be dangerous places for all types of road users. It is possible to reduce the number of people killed and seriously hurt in intersection crashes each year in Canada. But making intersections safer will take action on everyone's part. Here are some ideas that could help:

• Add or improve signage that helps drivers understand an intersection.
• Minimize unnecessary signage and reduce visual clutter at intersections.
• Simplify intersection layouts.
• Add more left-turn lanes and signal-controlled left-turn opportunities.
• Make the most of limited police resources by focusing traffic safety enforcement where it will do the most good.
• Offer driving refresher courses for older drivers.
• Improve the process to get unsafe older drivers off the road.
• Develop transportation options that give seniors an alternative to driving.
• Educate pedestrians on the importance of paying attention to vehicle movement.
• Design intersections with senior drivers and pedestrians in mind.
• Install longer pedestrian walk signals that allow for safe crossing.
• Educate motorcyclists, especially middle-aged riders, about safe motorcycling practices.
• Educate drivers to watch for motorcycles, pedestrians and bicyclists and to respect the rights of other road users.

Date modified:

2009-09-02

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