I am pleased to present The Ontario Road Safety Annual Report (ORSAR) 2003.

In 2003, Ontario had the safest roads in North America as measured by the number of fatalities per 10,000 licensed drivers. The province had the lowest rate ever recorded in Ontario-0.97 fatalities per 10,000 licensed drivers. The number of fatalities dropped even though the number of licensed drivers and registered motor vehicles in Ontario increased.

Other ORSAR 2003 figures include:

• 831 fatalities on the province's roads-42 fewer than in 2002 and the lowest number since 1950;
• Fewer people injured in collisions; and
• A 1.5 per cent increase in licensed drivers and a 2.5 per cent increase in registered motor vehicles from 2002.

Ontario is consistently among the top jurisdictions when it comes to road safety in North America. Our continued success depends on the strength of our partnerships with police, safety organizations, community groups, other levels of government and various provincial ministries.

While Ontario can be proud of its top rating in 2003, more needs to be done. Since 2003, the government has moved aggressively to build on the province's strong record and keep Ontario a leader in road safety. Our measures include passing legislation to make booster seats mandatory for small children, placing passenger restrictions on novice drivers, and improving school bus safety with new equipment and tougher fines.

Most recently, in February 2005, I was honoured to introduce new legislation that, if passed, would deliver a series of measures that will make our roadways safer, ease congestion and improve public transit.

The Government of Ontario continues to work closely with its road safety partners to prevent death and injury on our roads. ORSAR is an important tool in this effort, as we analyze trends and develop effective measures to make our roadways even safer.

Harinder S. Takhar
Ontario Minister of Transportation