Ontario Road Safety Annual Report 2004

1. Overview

The first section of the Ontario Road Safety Annual Report (ORSAR) provides a synopsis of key road safety statistics such as the total number of traffic fatalities, injuries, collisions, licensed drivers and registered vehicles for Ontario in 2004.

The primary measure of road user safety in Ontario is the number of fatalities for every 10,000 licensed drivers on our roads. Ontario’s rate of 0.92 fatalities per 10,000 licensed drivers was the lowest in North America for 2004, as well as the lowest ever recorded in this province. Other road safety performance measures such as fatality and collision rates based on 10,000 licensed drivers are also improving on an annual basis. This confirms that Ontario is a leader in road safety, not only in Canada, but also in all of North America.

The ORSAR results and the information on hospitalizations in this section are stark reminders of the human and economic cost of motor vehicle collisions, both in terms of lives lost, pain and suffering, and the impact on Ontario‘s healthcare system, which affects everyone in Ontario.

Figure 1: Total Number of Fatal and Injury Collisions in Ontario, 1990-2004

Data in table format

1A. Synopsis

Selected Statistics, 2004

Total Reportable Collisions	231,548
Total Drivers Involved in Collisions	411,271
Total Vehicles Involved in Collisions	426,951
Fatal Collisions	718
Personal Injury Collisions	49,948
Property Damage Collisions	180,882
Persons Killed	799
Drivers Killed (excludes All Terrain Vehicle and Snow Vehicle Drivers)	496
Drivers Killed (Impaired or Had Been Drinking)	133
Passengers Killed	193
Pedestrians Killed	104
Other Road Users Killed	6
Persons Injured	73,008
Estimated Ontario Population (2004)	12,407,300
Licensed Drivers	8,655,597
Registered Motor Vehicles	7,698,416
Estimated Vehicle Kilometres Travelled (in millions)	122,079
Number of Persons Killed in Motor Vehicle Collisions per 100,000 People in Ontario	6.44
Number of Persons Killed in Motor Vehicle Collisions per 100 Million Kilometres Travelled	0.66
Collision Rate per 100 Million Kilometres Travelled	189.70
Fatal Collision Rate per 100 Million Kilometres Travelled	0.59
Number of Persons Killed in Motor Vehicle Collisions per 10,000 Licensed Drivers	0.92

1B. Health Perspective

Table 1.1: Selected Diagnoses of Motor Vehicle Collision Injuries Hospitalized in Ontario, 2003/2004 Fiscal Year

Selected Diagnoses	Hospital Admissions	Hospital Days of Stay
Fracture of head	191	1,148
Fracture of neck and trunk	910	8,390
Fracture of upper limb	495	2,819
Fracture of lower limb	1,308	12,052
Fractures involving multiple body regions	15	352
Dislocation, sprains, and strain	151	617
Dislocations, sprains, and strains involving multiple body regions	*	7
Intracranial injury	734	10,636
Internal injury of chest, abdomen, and pelvis	488	4,204
Open wound of head, neck, or trunk	93	296
Open wound of upper limb	15	59
Open wound of lower limb	39	300
Open wounds involving multiple body regions	*	8
Other diagnoses	1,207	11,050
Total Admissions and Days *	5,646	51,938

Source: Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Integrated Policy and Planning Division, Health Data & Decision Support Unit
*Small cell count (a value of less than 5); small cell counts are not to be published.

Table 1.2: Selected Surgical Procedures for Motor Vehicle Collision Injuries Hospitalized in Ontario, 2003/2004 Fiscal Year

Selected Procedures	Admissions	Hospital Days of Stay
Head, brain, and cerebral meninges	122	2,977
Spinal cord, spinal canal, and meninges	10	137
Nose, mouth, and pharynx	29	283
Chest wall, pleura, mediastinum, and diaphragm	83	761
Bone marrow and spleen	50	915
Kidney	*	*
Facial bones and joints	89	697
Reduction of fracture/dislocation with or without fixation (excluding head and facial bones)	1,656	16,868
Repair joint structures (excluding head or facial bones)	19	160
Skin and subcutaneous tissue	87	870
Other diagnostic and therapeutic interventions	1,647	19,950
Sub-total of surgical admissions and days	3,792.000	43,618.000
No interventions performed	1,860	8,319

Source: Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Integrated Policy and Planning Division, Health Data & Decision Support Unit
*Small cell count (a value of less than 5); due to privacy concerns, small cell counts are not to be published.