ORSAR 2002 - The Collision

3. The Collision

Key statistics in this section include number of collisions by class, collision rate per kilometres travelled, breakdown of collisions by month, day of week and hour of occurrence, the nature of the impact, as well as a description of environmental conditions at time of occurrence.

While the number of collisions increased in 2002, the collision rate per one million kilometres travelled in Ontario was the lowest since 1988.

Figure 3: Collision Rate Per One Million Kilometres Travelled in Ontario, 1989 to 2002

Data in table format *Based on Statistics Canada estimates of Vehicle Kilometres travelled

3a. Types of Collisions

Table 3.1

Class of Collision 1988-2002

Year	Fatal Collision	Personal Injury Collision	Property Damage Collision	Total
1988	1,076	76,724	150,598	228,398
1989	1,106	77,852	168,080	247,038
1990	959	65,912	153,317	220,188
1991	956	59,242	153,471	213,669
1992	942	58,889	164,418	224,249
1993	987	58,932	168,915	228,834
1994	875	58,525	167,596	226,996
1995	860	58,273	159,952	219,085
1996	816	57,791	156,417	215,024
1997	807	56,121	164,572	221,500
1998	768	55,441	157,147	213,356
1999	763	55,764	165,435	221,962
2000	737	57,279	182,614	240,630
2001	733	54,479	178,792	234,004
2002	770	56,516	187,356	244,642

Table 3.2

Collision Rate Per One Million
Kilometres Travelled 1988-2002

Year	Collision Rate
1988	3.2
1989	3.2
1990	3.0
1991	2.9
1992	3.1
1993	3.0
1994	2.9
1995	2.8
1996	2.7
1997	2.7
1998	2.5
1999	2.5
2000	2.0*
2001	2.0*
2002	2.0*

* Based on Statistics Canada estimates of Vehicle Kilometres Travelled

Table 3.3

Motor Vehicles Involved in Collisions Based on Initial Impact 2002*

	Fatal Collision	Personal Injury Collision	Property Damage Collision	Total
Motor Vehicle in Collision Involving Moveable Objects:
Other Motor Vehicles	779	84,772	273,061	358,612
Unattended Vehicles	10	632	14,522	15,164
Pedestrian	118	4,521	232	4,871
Cyclist	19	2,654	481	3,154
Railway Train	9	21	31	61
Street Car	0	40	220	260
Farm Tractor	1	33	87	121
Domestic Animal	0	75	559	634
Wild Animal	8	534	12,255	12,797
Other Moveable Objects	0	82	335	417
Sub-total	944	93,364	301,783	396,091
Motor Vehicle in Collision Involving Fixed Objects:
Cable Guide Rail	3	49	406	458
Concrete Guide Rail	3	311	901	1,215
Steel Guide Rail	2	207	851	1,060
Pole (Utility Tower)	8	388	1,443	1,839
Pole (Sign / Parking Meter)	8	117	831	956
Fence / Noise Barrier	1	28	228	257
Culvert	0	20	24	44
Bridge Support	4	24	115	143
Rock Face	0	21	44	65
Snow Bank or Drift	0	34	165	199
Ditch	6	311	874	1,191
Curb	11	514	1,791	2,316
Crash Cushion	0	18	37	55
Building or Wall	1	24	167	192
Water Course	0	0	6	6
Construction Marker	0	5	37	42
Tree, Shrub, or Stump	5	116	504	625
Other Fixed Object	6	273	1,523	1,802
Sub-total	58	2,460	9,947	12,465
Motor Vehicle in Collision Involving Other Events:
Ran Off Road	131	3,902	8,562	12,595
Skidding / Sliding	143	5,537	17,350	23,030
Jack-knifing	1	22	112	135
Load Spill	1	9	103	113
Fire / Explosion	0	7	238	245
Submersion	0	1	8	9
Rollover	6	258	333	597
Debris on Road	8	119	939	1,066
Debris off Vehicle	7	93	1,094	1,194
Other Non-Collision Event	29	1,232	3,422	4,683
Sub-total	326	11,180	32,161	43,667
Total	1,328	107,004	343,891	452,223

* Table 3.3 reflects the number of motor vehicles involved in collisions by initial impact.

Table 3.4

Initial Impact Type by Class of Collision 2002

Initial Impact Type	Fatal Collision	Personal Injury Collision	Property Damage Collision	Total
Approaching	152	1,598	2,534	4,284
Angle	97	7,659	17,430	25,186
Rear End	32	16,591	48,095	64,718
Sideswipe	45	4,167	25,662	29,874
Turning Movement	52	9,253	29,264	38,569
With Unattended Motor Vehicle	11	670	14,734	15,415
Single Motor Vehicle	380	16,367	47,663	64,410
Other	1	211	1,974	2,186
Unknown	0	0	0	0
Total	770	56,516	187,356	244,642

3b. Time and Environment

Table 3.5

Month of Occurrence by Class of Collision 2002

Month of Occurrence	Fatal Collision	%	Personal Injury Collision	%	Property Damage Collision	%	Total	%
January	46	6.0	4,222	7.5	16,738	8.9	21,006	8.6
February	56	7.3	4,084	7.2	14,998	8.0	19,138	7.8
March	52	6.8	4,384	7.8	15,760	8.4	20,196	8.3
April	53	6.9	3,890	6.9	12,593	6.7	16,536	6.8
May	58	7.5	4,488	7.9	13,831	7.4	18,377	7.5
June	60	7.8	4,931	8.7	14,737	7.9	19,728	8.1
July	73	9.5	5,066	9.0	14,336	7.7	19,475	8.0
August	70	9.1	5,166	9.1	13,731	7.3	18,967	7.8
September	73	9.5	5,015	8.9	14,133	7.5	19,221	7.9
October	70	9.1	5,028	8.9	16,056	8.6	21,154	8.6
November	85	11.0	5,225	9.2	20,512	10.9	25,822	10.6
December	74	9.6	5,017	8.9	19,931	10.6	25,022	10.2
Total	770	100.0	56,516	100.0	187,356	100.0	244,642	100.0

Table 3.6

Day of Week by Class of Collision 2002

Day of Occurrence	Fatal Collision	%	Personal Injury Collision	%	Property Damage Collision	%	Total	%
Monday	90	11.7	7,831	13.9	27,240	14.5	35,161	14.4
Tuesday	85	11.0	8,548	15.1	28,068	15.0	36,701	15.0
Wednesday	93	12.1	8,256	14.6	27,567	14.7	35,916	14.7
Thursday	99	12.9	8,253	14.6	27,759	14.8	36,111	14.8
Friday	152	19.7	9,472	16.8	32,006	17.1	41,630	17.0
Saturday	135	17.5	7,808	13.8	24,743	13.2	32,686	13.4
Sunday	116	15.1	6,348	11.2	19,973	10.7	26,437	10.8
Total	770	100.0	56,516	100.0	187,356	100.0	244,642	100.0

Table 3.7

Hour of Occurrence by Class of Collision 2002

Hour of Occurrence	Fatal Collision	%	Personal Injury Collision	%	Property Damage Collision	%	Total	%
12 to 1 a.m.	25	3.2	812	1.4	2,894	1.5	3,731	1.5
1 to 2 a.m.	26	3.4	727	1.3	2,887	1.5	3,640	1.5
2 to 3 a.m.	24	3.1	848	1.5	2,837	1.5	3,709	1.5
3 to 4 a.m.	18	2.3	645	1.1	2,295	1.2	2,958	1.2
4 to 5 a.m.	9	1.2	433	0.8	1,759	0.9	2,201	0.9
5 to 6 a.m.	18	2.3	526	0.9	2,354	1.3	2,898	1.2
Sub-total	120	15.6	3,991	7.1	15,026	8.0	19,137	7.8
6 to 7 a.m.	27	3.5	1,409	2.5	4,698	2.5	6,134	2.5
7 to 8 a.m.	37	4.8	2,205	3.9	7,620	4.1	9,862	4.0
8 to 9 a.m.	28	3.6	3,265	5.8	11,598	6.2	14,891	6.1
9 to 10 a.m.	21	2.7	2,538	4.5	8,919	4.8	11,478	4.7
10 to 11 a.m.	27	3.5	2,542	4.5	8,641	4.6	11,210	4.6
11 to 12 noon	48	6.2	3,026	5.4	9,950	5.3	13,024	5.3
Sub-total	188	24.4	14,985	26.5	51,426	27.4	66,599	27.2
12 to 1 p.m.	27	3.5	3,342	5.9	10,817	5.8	14,186	5.8
1 to 2 p.m.	29	3.8	3,386	6.0	10,439	5.6	13,854	5.7
2 to 3 p.m.	45	5.8	3,565	6.3	11,059	5.9	14,669	6.0
3 to 4 p.m.	47	6.1	4,466	7.9	13,731	7.3	18,244	7.5
4 to 5 p.m.	50	6.5	4,566	8.1	14,141	7.5	18,757	7.7
5 to 6 p.m.	40	5.2	4,600	8.1	14,803	7.9	19,443	7.9
Sub-total	238	30.9	23,925	42.3	74,990	40.0	99,153	40.5
6 to 7 p.m.	35	4.5	3,743	6.6	12,169	6.5	15,947	6.5
7 to 8 p.m.	44	5.7	2,748	4.9	8,899	4.7	11,691	4.8
8 to 9 p.m.	29	3.8	2,029	3.6	6,650	3.5	8,708	3.6
9 to 10 p.m.	43	5.6	1,909	3.4	6,438	3.4	8,390	3.4
10 to 11 p.m.	42	5.5	1,625	2.9	5,429	2.9	7,096	2.9
11 to 12 midnight	21	2.7	1,293	2.3	4,409	2.4	5,723	2.3
Sub-total	214	27.8	13,347	23.6	43,994	23.5	57,555	23.5
Unknown	10	1.3	268	0.5	1,920	1.0	2,198	0.9
Total	770	100.0	56,516	100.0	187,356	100.0	244,642	100.0

Table 3.8

Statutory Holidays, Holiday Weekends Fatal Collisions, Persons Killed and Injured 2002

Statutory Holiday*	Fatal Collisions	Drivers Killed	Drivers Injured	Passengers Killed	Passengers Injured	Others Killed	Others Injured	Total Killed	Total Injured
Easter Weekend	6	3	1	2	1	1	0	6	2
Victoria Day	8	5	7	5	4	0	0	10	11
Canada Day	11	6	7	7	13	1	0	14	20
Civic Holiday (Simcoe Day)	9	4	4	3	7	3	1	10	12
Labour Day	11	8	8	2	6	1	0	11	14
Thanksgiving Day	8	3	1	5	4	2	1	10	6
Christmas / Boxing Day	4	4	2	1	5	0	0	5	7

* Actual length may vary depending on the calendar year. For certain holidays, it might include the whole weekend.

Table 3.9

Light Condition by Class of Collision 2002

Light Condition	Fatal Collision	%	Personal Injury Collision	%	Property Damage Collision	%	Total	%
Daylight	410	53.2	39,941	70.7	125,917	67.2	166,268	68.0
Dawn	15	1.9	817	1.4	3,593	1.9	4,425	1.8
Dusk	20	2.6	1,805	3.2	6,448	3.4	8,273	3.4
Darkness	325	42.2	13,937	24.7	51,043	27.2	65,305	26.7
Other	0	0.0	16	0.0	355	0.2	371	0.2
Total	770	100.0	56,516	100.0	187,356	100.0	244,642	100.0

Table 3.10

Visibility by Class of Collision 2002

Visibility	Fatal Collision	%	Personal Injury Collision	%	Property Damage Collision	%	Total	%
Clear	612	79.5	44,944	79.5	141,753	75.7	187,309	76.6
Rain	49	6.4	5,776	10.2	19,519	10.4	25,344	10.4
Snow	77	10.0	4,286	7.6	19,688	10.5	24,051	9.8
Freezing Rain	8	1.0	468	0.8	1,912	1.0	2,388	1.0
Drifting Snow	7	0.9	396	0.7	1,513	0.8	1,916	0.8
Strong Wind	2	0.3	175	0.3	717	0.4	894	0.4
Fog, Mist, Smoke, or Dust	12	1.6	341	0.6	1,453	0.8	1,806	0.7
Other	3	0.4	130	0.2	801	0.4	934	0.4
Total	770	100.0	56,516	100.0	187,356	100.0	244,642	100.0

3c. The Collision Location

Table 3.11

Road Jurisdiction by Class of Collision 2002

Road Jurisdiction	Fatal Collision	Personal Injury Collision	Property Damage Collision	Total
Municipal (Excl.Twp. Rd.)	263	35,574	113,696	149,533
Provincial Highway	220	8,572	30,787	39,579
Township	57	2,080	7,465	9,602
County or District	119	3,086	10,568	13,773
Regional Municipality	106	7,090	24,432	31,628
Federal	5	93	327	425
Other	0	21	81	102
Total	770	56,516	187,356	244,642

Table 3.12

Road Jurisdiction for All Collisions 1993-2002

Road Jurisdiction*	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	Total
Municipal	119,421	117,478	114,848	112,980	123,423	123,112	126,063	136,499	143,951	149,533	1,267,308
Provincial	48,275	48,895	46,365	46,867	41,947	33,590	37,139	38,366	36,511	39,579	417,534
Township	10,667	10,497	9,774	9,236	9,557	8,696	8,672	9,844	8,678	9,602	95,223
County or District	9,076	8,839	8,815	8,381	9,574	11,114	11,217	12,847	12,692	13,773	106,328
Regional Municipality	40,230	40,165	38,279	36,738	36,341	36,295	38,360	42,464	31,659	31,628	372,159
Federal**	863	825	753	662	504	392	400	439	354	425	5,617
Other	302	297	251	160	154	157	111	171	159	102	1,864
Total	228,834	226,996	219,085	215,024	221,500	213,356	221,962	240,630	234,004	244,642	2,266,033

* Collisions may not be comaparable across the different years due to transfer of highways between jurisdictions.
** Since January 1, 1988 the Motor Vehicle Accident Report form allows the recording of jurisdiction for federal roads.

Table 3.13

Collision Location by Class of Collision 2002

Road Location	Fatal Collision	%	Personal Injury Collision	%	Property Damage Collision	%	Total	%
Non-intersection	473	61.4	21,024	37.2	80,859	43.2	102,356	41.8
Intersection Related	96	12.5	14,509	25.7	46,013	24.6	60,618	24.8
At Intersection	123	16.0	14,726	26.1	33,267	17.8	48,116	19.7
At / Near Private Drive	55	7.1	5,674	10.0	24,869	13.3	30,598	12.5
At Railway	10	1.3	102	0.2	340	0.2	452	0.2
Underpass or Tunnel	5	0.6	69	0.1	288	0.2	362	0.1
Overpass or Bridge	8	1.0	336	0.6	1,248	0.7	1,592	0.7
Other	0	0.0	76	0.1	472	0.3	548	0.2
Total	770	100.0	56,516	100.0	187,356	100.0	244,642	100.0

Table 3.14

Road Surface Condition by Class of Collision 2002

Road Surface Condition	Fatal Collision	%	Personal Injury Collision	%	Property Damage Collision	%	Total	%
Dry	531	69.0	39,513	69.9	121,496	64.8	161,540	66.0
Wet	129	16.8	10,464	18.5	35,795	19.1	46,388	19.0
Loose Snow	35	4.5	1,908	3.4	9,067	4.8	11,010	4.5
Slush	30	3.9	1,225	2.2	5,193	2.8	6,448	2.6
Packed Snow	13	1.7	971	1.7	5,279	2.8	6,263	2.6
Ice	26	3.4	1,999	3.5	8,825	4.7	10,850	4.4
Mud	1	0.1	5	0.0	119	0.1	125	0.1
Loose Sand or Gravel	4	0.5	267	0.5	831	0.4	1,102	0.5
Spilled Liquid	0	0.0	27	0.0	46	0.0	73	0.0
Other	1	0.1	137	0.2	705	0.4	843	0.3
Total	770	100.0	56,516	100.0	187,356	100.0	244,642	100.0