canadian drivers find speeding dangerous, even when they do it themselves
caa poll finds that many of the behaviours considered a threat to personal safety are the same ones people engage in when driving
jan 11 2024
2 minute read
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a new poll from the canadian automobile association (caa) shows that canadians are deeply concerned about poor driving practices — even as a sizable number admit to partaking in those same dangerous behaviours themselves.
for example, 88 per cent of canadians surveyed said they consider speeding in residential areas to be a somewhat or very serious threat to personal safety, but 22 per cent said they always, often or sometimes engaged in the very same practice.
similarly, 93 per cent said they viewed phone use while driving as a somewhat or very serious threat, even as 32 per cent admitted they were engaged with technology while driving, at least some of the time.
and while 78 per cent of those polled thought speeding on highways was dangerous, a full 45 per cent admitted to doing it, more than any other item on the survey.
“canadians are right to be alarmed about speeding,” said ian jack, vice-president of public affairs at caa national. “speed-related collisions are preventable. that is why caa is asking canadians to slow down in 2024 and keep everyone safe.”
according to the traffic injury research foundation, travelling even 10 kilometres per hour over the speed limit increases the likelihood of a collision by 60 per cent, while saving the average driver only four minutes on a trip.
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“don’t forget speed limits are posted for ideal weather,” jack said. “especially while most of the country is in the thick of winter, we should all really try to respect the speed limit or slow down to ensure the safety of all.”
the top five dangerous driving behaviours that people admitted to were: speeding on the highway (45 per cent); engaging with technology in their car (32 per cent); speeding in residential zones (22 per cent); driving well over the speed limit (19 per cent); and driving when too tired (18 per cent).
not all bad behaviours were equally practised, however. topping the list of activities people considered a threat to personal safety were driving after drinking (96 per cent), driving after using illegal drugs (95 per cent), running red lights (93 per cent) and driving after using cannabis (93 per cent). but these four were also at the bottom of the list of things people said they did themselves, with three per cent or less saying they even sometimes did them.
the findings are based on a poll of 2,503 canadians — 2,000 from the general population and another 500 caa members — carried out last october. a probability sample of the same size would yield a margin of error of +/-2 per cent.
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