Inattentive Drivers a Major Risk on the Road

Looking for a distraction this long weekend? Don't look for it on the road. About four in 10 of the 14,000 highway collisions every year are caused by inattentive drivers.

"Drivers need to realize that their vehicles could easily be turned into killing machines, either through a lapse in concentration or a distraction," said Transportation and Public Works Minister Ron Russell. "Too many Nova Scotians have been seriously injured or killed because a driver wasn't paying attention."

Traffic fatalities to date are 34 per cent lower than last year, and 19 per cent lower than the best year on record, 2003. As of May 15, 21 people have died on Nova Scotia highways this year.

Mr. Russell said that while the trend toward lower fatalities is encouraging, Nova Scotians can do more to prevent highway deaths. He is concerned that the numbers will climb when more drivers are on the roads in the summer months.

"Using a cell phone, eating, reading, or putting on make-up are dangerous behaviours when driving," said Mr. Russell. "The fact is -- it isn't the roads or highways that are unsafe, but the way people drive -- and dangerous behaviours contribute to many serious collisions."

The province recognizes May 17-23 as National Road Safety Week, an initiative designed to increase public compliance with safe driving measures and ultimately, to save lives. It is a special week to focus on safe driving practices, and is timed in conjunction with Canada's first holiday weekend of the summer, when the travelling public will be out in great numbers.

Nova Scotia is working toward reaching benchmarks set by Road Safety Vision 2010, a national plan to make Canada's roads the safest in the world.

Nova Scotia's Road Safety Advisory Committee helps government develop road safety priorities and programs. The committee includes members of nonprofit organizations, government, industry, police and others.