Driving down the road and chatting to your family is sometime many of us do, if not every day, then at some point through the week and at weekends. There are few things more natural and we rarely consider there to be any danger. When some of us were growing up, things were a little different because there were no such things as anti-lock brakes, crumple zones used to be a part of the sofa you curled up on and 3 point safety seat belts were for wimps.
Is it an Age Thing
Things have changed drastically for the better. Everyone seems to wear their seat belts now and speed limits are much lower so that many residential areas have 20mph zones. Most of us of a certain age can remember the old adverts in television where we were told to “Clunk, click every trip” before we pulled away. The adverts seemed tedious at the time, but considering the cars we were driving, we really should have been paying more attention. In fairness, we have reached a point where our roads are much safer than they used to be despite there being many more cars using them every day.
The Stats Speak Volumes
A report commissioned by the RAC Foundation nearly four years ago, showed that road traffic accidents have been falling consistently over the years. That has been largely due to the improvements in road safety among drivers, brakes, tyres and road safety measures put in place over the years. The largest drop was for serious incidents, which numbered more than 700,000 in 1972, down to under 300,000 in 2007. These stats are a little behind 2013, but there is no reason to suggest the trend would have changed in the last six years. Surprisingly, the least amount of change has been on Motorways, where the number of accidents has only dropped from 3% in 1972 to 1% of the total, although these are where the most serious of accidents still take place. At least we no longer need to worry about motorways with no central barrier to stop tired drivers veering into oncoming traffic.
The Cost of RTAs (Road Traffic Accidents)
Despite RTA numbers falling and car theft almost disappearing when compared to the figures in the late 80s and early 90s, the cost of car insurance is still rising faster than the rate of inflation year on year. Some people have blamed the claim culture that has gripped Britain. The issue is a double-edged sword because on one hand the fear of someone claiming on someone’s insurance can reduce the chance of that person making a mistake, but the cost of paying for injuries is driving insurance costs through the roof.
The risk of injuries cause by collisions is making it almost impossible for young drivers to find affordable insurance. Many young drivers shoulder the blame for the rising cost of insurance, but you are just as likely to suffer impact damage from an older driver in a car park, although the injury is going to be far less serious. Personal injury claims may be pushing policies through the roof, but the biggest problem we face is the amount of bogus claims that go through the system. Luckily, the government have cracked down on companies who use questionable tactics to secure customers for compensation claims. Some have companies have been caught red-handed trying to exploit the system and this makes it more difficult for the court to process legitimate claims for compensation. Despite the need to go to court far more often than in previous years, you should still make a claim if you suffered injury through a Road Traffic Accident.
Emily Starr is a car owner who often looks at the statistics for accidents on the road and is shocked at how many people file for motor accident compensation. Therefore, she always makes sure to drive as safely as possible.
Expanded Safety Guide
Three Driver Safety Habits That Actually Prevent Collisions
Road-traffic collision numbers have fallen sharply since the 1980s thanks to safer vehicle design, seatbelt laws, and drink-driving enforcement, yet the average Canadian driver still faces preventable risk every day. Three habits — consistent seatbelt use, distraction control, and defensive following distance — account for the vast majority of avoidable crashes across Alberta and BC.
Tip 1: The 3-Point Seatbelt — Always, Every Trip, Every Seat
The modern 3-point lap-and-shoulder belt is the single most effective safety device ever installed in a passenger vehicle. Transport Canada estimates seatbelt use prevents 45% of serious injury and 50% of fatality outcomes in frontal crashes. Alberta’s Traffic Safety Act requires every occupant, front and rear, to wear a properly adjusted seatbelt — and the driver is legally responsible for passengers under 16.
- Position the lap belt low across the pelvis (never over the abdomen).
- Route the shoulder belt across the collarbone and mid-chest, not under the arm or behind the back.
- Remove thick winter coats before belting children into car seats — loose fit under compression is a leading cause of ejection.
- Replace any belt that has been loaded in a collision, even if it looks intact.
Tip 2: Eliminate Distracted Driving Before You Move
Distracted driving is now the leading cause of collisions in Alberta, surpassing impaired driving in claim frequency. A single glance at a phone at 90 km/h covers roughly 25 metres of road blind — the length of two school buses. Alberta’s distracted-driving law carries a $300 fine and 3 demerits for handheld device use, eating, personal grooming, or reading behind the wheel.
Set up before you drive: cue your route on the GPS, queue your playlist, secure loose items, brief passengers. If a call is essential, use hands-free or pull over safely. Commercial drivers must comply with National Safety Code standards that prohibit any handheld device use while driving.
Tip 3: The 4-Second Following Rule (and Why Bigger Vehicles Need More)
Passenger cars should maintain a minimum 3-second following distance in dry conditions; the professional standard for commercial vehicles is 4 to 6 seconds. Double the distance in rain, snow, or fog. To measure: pick a fixed roadside marker; when the vehicle ahead passes it, count “one thousand one, one thousand two…” If you reach the marker before finishing the count, drop back.
Following distance is the single largest factor in avoiding rear-end collisions, which represent about 30% of all Canadian crashes. It also gives you time to see and react to secondary hazards — pedestrians, debris, brake-check drivers.
For Alberta Commercial Drivers: These Three Tips Are Just the Baseline
Alberta Class 1, 2, and 3 drivers operate vehicles that can weigh 30 times more than a passenger car, with proportionally longer stopping distances. National Safety Code requires documented pre-trip inspections, hours-of-service compliance, and ELD (electronic logging device) use. Oil & gas drivers add H2S awareness and rough-terrain skills. Formal defensive driving certification is standard for insurance and employer compliance.
Content reviewed by Arliss Levine, CRSP, CHSC — lead safety instructor at Safety Mom · Allstar Enviro Safety Calgary, an Energy Safety Canada Authorized Training Provider.
