The Impact of COVID-19 on road safety: A population-based survey of Canadian drivers

PI’s: Christine Wickens, Robert Mann

Preliminary data from jurisdictions around the world have demonstrated reductions in traffic volumes during the COVID‐19 pandemic, which in turn, should correspond with similarly sized reductions in number of motor vehicle collisions. However, many jurisdictions are reporting that the reduction in number of collisions has not been as significant as the reduction in traffic volumes, and in fact, some jurisdictions have reported that the road fatality rate during the pandemic has increased. The COVID‐19 pandemic may be associated with changes in attitudes and behaviours of some subgroups of drivers that may be having important road safety effects. For example, there is preliminary evidence of increased aggressive driving incidents (speeding, street racing, stunt driving, etc.), alcohol- and drug-impaired driving, and cell phone use while driving during the pandemic. Although speed enforcement and crash‐related data provide some evidence, it is likely that these data sources do not capture all instances of risky roadway behaviour, particularly given that enforcement resources may have been stretched or diverted elsewhere during the pandemic due to low traffic volumes. An online survey will be conducted of 6,500 drivers aged 18 years and older drawn from a general web-based panel of residents from six regions across Canada (i.e., British Columbia, Alberta, the Prairies, Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces). The proposed survey will identify changes in drivers’ behaviours associated with the COVID‐19 pandemic, identify subgroups (based on age, sex/gender, attitudes, etc.) who are most likely to engage in unsafe driver behaviours during the pandemic, and explore their potential influence on motor vehicle collision risk. This information will inform strategies for both policy and practice (e.g., enforcement, education and health promotion, legislation) in addressing this and future public health crises.