I am pleased to present Ontario's Road Safety Annual Report for 2004

For the second consecutive year, this report shows Ontario is the North American leader in road safety, based on a comparison of fatality rates for all jurisdictions across Canada and the United States. Overall, the number of fatalities on Ontario's roads fell by almost 50 per cent since 1980 and, in 2004, Ontario's fatality rate of 0.92 per 10,000 licensed drivers was the lowest figure recorded since the province began keeping records in 1931.

Other highlights from 2004 include:

• Fewer fatalities and injuries from drinking and driving-related collisions
• Fewer reportable collisions and injuries overall
• Fewer pedestrian fatalities.

While Ontario can be proud of these results, we recognize that more needs to be done to curb deaths and injuries on our roads. Bill 73, An Act to Enhance the Safety of Children and Youth on Ontario's Roads, 2004, will play an important role in reducing fatalities and injuries among children and youth in Ontario by:

• Making booster seats mandatory
• Enhancing school bus safety
• Restricting the number of young passengers a teenage G2 driver can have in the vehicle.

Looking forward, the initiatives passed under the Transportation Statute Law Amendment Act, 2005, increase penalties and sanctions for drivers convicted of excessive speeding, tighten the daily inspection standards for commercial vehicles and reduce congestion on our highways by allowing our government to open Ontario's first High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes.

To further improve the safety of our roads, the Ministry of Transportation will continue to work closely with our many dedicated road safety partners across Ontario to encourage all road users — residents and visitors to our great province alike — to respect Ontario's traffic laws.

Everyone has a responsibility to help make Ontario's roads as safe as they can be. With your help, we can make Ontario's roads among the safest in the world.

Sincerely,

(original signed)
Donna Cansfield
Ontario Minister of Transportation