Section 1 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 2005.

The primary measure of road user safety in Ontario is the number of fatalities for every 10,000 licensed drivers on our roads. In 2005, Ontario’s fatality rate of 0.87 per 10,000 licensed drivers was the lowest ever recorded in Ontario. Only the Northwest Territories, a fairly small jurisdiction with a population about 276 times smaller than Ontario and with a fatality rate of 0.63, ranked ahead of Ontario. 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 continues to be among the leaders in road safety, both in Canada and in all of North America.

Nevertheless, ORSAR results and the information on hospitalizations in this section are stark reminders of the human and economic cost of motor vehicle collisions, 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, 1988–2005

Graph of total number of fatal and injury collisions in Ontario, 1988-2005

Data in table format

1a. Synopsis

Selected Statistics, 2005
Total Reportable Collisions	230,258
Total Drivers Involved in Collisions	407,127
Total Vehicles Involved in Collisions	422,903
Fatal Collisions	684
Personal Injury Collisions	49,584
Property Damage Collisions	179,990

Persons Killed	766
Drivers Killed (Excludes All-Terrain Vehicles* and Snow Vehicle Drivers)	466
Drivers Killed (Impaired or Had Been Drinking)	120
Passengers Killed	182
Pedestrians Killed	105
Other Road Users Killed	13

Persons Injured	71,850
Estimated Ontario Population (2005)	12,558,669
Licensed Drivers	8,762,210
Registered Motor Vehicles	7,854,228
Estimated Vehicle Kilometres Travelled (in millions)	125,102

Number of Persons Killed in Motor Vehicle Collisions per 100,000 People in Ontario	6.10
Number of Persons Killed in Motor Vehicle Collisions per 100 Million Kilometres Travelled	0.61
Collision Rate per 100 Million Kilometres Travelled	184.06
Fatal Collision Rate per 100 Million Kilometres Travelled	0.55
Number of Persons Killed in Motor Vehicle Collisions per 10,000 Licensed Drivers	0.87

* In this table, "all-terrain vehicles" includes two-wheel, three-wheel, and four-wheel off-road vehicles.

1b. Health Perspective

Table 1.1: Selected Diagnoses of Motor Vehicle Collision Injuries Hospitalized in Ontario, 2004/2005 Fiscal Year
Selected Diagnoses	Hospital Admissions	Hospital Days of Stay
Fracture of head	226	1,352
Fracture of neck and trunk	1,014	8,937
Fracture of upper limb	521	2,773
Fracture of lower limb	1,361	11,784
Fractures involving multiple body regions	12	136
Dislocation, sprains, and strains	153	626
Dislocations, sprains, and strains involving multiple body regions	- *	13
Intracranial injury	651	9,069
Internal injury of chest, abdomen, and pelvis	429	3,613
Open wound of head, neck, or trunk	82	230
Open wound of upper limb	20	98
Open wound of lower limb	30	271
Open wounds involving multiple body regions	- *	30
Other diagnoses	1,261	10,293
Total Admissions and Days **	5,760	49,225

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 published.
** Totals do not include small cell counts.

Table 1.2: Selected Surgical Procedures for Motor Vehicle Collision Injuries Hospitalized in Ontario, 2004/2005 Fiscal Year
Selected Procedures	Admissions	Hospital Days of Stay
Head, brain, and cerebral meninges	84	1,747
Spinal cord, spinal canal, and meninges	8	133
Nose, mouth, and pharynx	18	87
Chest wall, pleura, mediastinum, and diaphragm	62	568
Bone marrow and spleen	53	1,090
Kidney	- *	- *
Facial bones and joints	97	874
Reduction of fracture/dislocation with or without fixation (excluding head and facial bones)	1,684	15,240
Repair joint structures (excluding head or facial bones)	21	78
Skin and subcutaneous tissue	100	980
Other diagnostic and therapeutic interventions	1,720	19,918
Total of Surgical Admissions and Days **	5,765	49,225
No surgical procedures performed	1,918	8,510

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