GOVERNMENT TARGETS DANGEROUS DRIVERS

VICTORIA — The Province is taking action to crack down on dangerous drivers, while keeping insurance rates low for safe drivers, Solicitor General John Les announced today.

Government has instructed ICBC to target dangerous drivers while protecting current discounts for seniors and those with disabilities. The proposed rate structure will be presented to the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) next month for approval.

"It's unacceptable that more than 400 people are killed and more than 75,000 injured on B.C. roads every year," said Les. "We want to send a message to aggressive high-risk drivers that we'll be going after them every way we can."

Drivers who have shown high-risk behaviour already pay more for their auto insurance through ICBC's driver penalty point program, but proposed changes will hit aggressive drivers even harder, which could mean insurance increases ranging up to thousands of dollars per year for the worst drivers.

Police reports show that high-risk driving behaviours contribute to almost 45 per cent of fatalities. These behaviours include speeding, dangerous driving and running red lights.

Today's announcement builds on the numerous steps the government has already taken to deal with high-risk driving. Impaired driving laws have been toughened. Integrated Road Safety Units have been set up throughout the province. A traffic safety helicopter (Air One) is operating in the Lower Mainland. And police are now using new technology to scan licence plates to identify vehicles and drivers who should not be on the road.

"Public safety is one of our government's key priorities," concluded Les. "We have moved forward with tougher laws and improved enforcement, and we will be announcing further road safety initiatives in the near future."

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Media Contact:
Cindy Rose - Public Affairs Officer
(250) 356-6961

For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province's news feeds using RSS, visit the Province's website at www.gov.bc.ca.

COMPLETE CRASH, INJURY AND FATALITY STATISTICS FOR 2005

• There were 261,700 crashes, resulting in approximately 78,000 injuries and 459 fatalities on B.C. roads in 2005. This is an increase of approximately 5,000 crashes and 29 more fatalities in 2005 compared to 2004.
• The increase in fatalities counters a three year trend of decreasing numbers and was most dramatic when aggressive driving, speed, or alcohol was a factor in the crash.
• Of all the contributing factors assigned by police to collisions in 2005 , approximately 82 per cent involved human action, 16 per cent were related to environmental conditions, and 2 per cent involved vehicle condition.
• High risk driving behaviours such as failing to yield, improper passing, speeding, following too close, and running red lights and stop signs continue to be a problem on B.C.’s roads. According to police reports there were approximately 15,000 injuries and 229 fatalities in crashes that involved these contributing factors in 2005. High risk driving behaviours contributed to more than 45 per cent of fatalities in 2005.
• Unsafe speed was the top single contributing factor in fatal collisions in every region of the province in 2005. This includes exceeding the speed limit, speeding by over 40 km/hr, and driving too fast for conditions. According to police reports there were approximately 5,600 injuries and 176 fatalities in unsafe speed related crashes in 2005.
• Alcohol was a contributing factor in 28 per cent of all fatalities, in 2005. Alcohol related fatalities and injuries are most likely to occur on a weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) and between the hours of 6 p.m. and 3 a.m. According to police reports there were approximately 3,400 injuries and 127 fatalities in alcohol-related crashes in 2005.

Media Contact:
Cindy Rose - Public Affairs Officer
(250) 356-6961

For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province's news feeds using RSS, visit the Province's website at www.gov.bc.ca.