Rural Nova Scotians Lead Country in Safe Driving Practices

Drivers in rural Nova Scotia are at the top of the class when it comes to buckling up for safety, and the limited use of cellphones.

A September 2006 Transport Canada survey of seatbelt use in Canada's rural communities found that 90.4 per cent of occupants of light-duty vehicles used seatbelts in Nova Scotia, second only to Price Edward Island, at 95.5 per cent.

Not using seatbelts is a factor in one of every four road fatalities in Nova Scotia. While annual seatbelt-use surveys suggest that nine of 10 Canadians wear seatbelts on a regular basis, almost 40 per cent of occupants killed, and 20 per cent of those seriously injured, had not buckled up.

The survey also found rural Nova Scotians were the least likely to use a cellphone while driving. Only 0.8 per cent of drivers were observed using cellphones.

Transportation and Public Works Minister Angus MacIsaac said the survey shows that Nova Scotia's road-safety programs are working.

"Rural Nova Scotians are leading the way when it comes to taking proactive steps to be safe behind the wheel," said Mr. MacIsaac. "The Department of Transportation and Public Works' education programs, combined with effective law enforcement and the good judgment of rural drivers, is a winning combination for safer roads."

The minister says the low number of drivers using cellphones is encouraging.

"Cellphone use contributes to driver distraction -- one of the leading causes of motor vehicle collisions in Nova Scotia," said Mr. MacIsaac.

The Transport Canada survey is part of the National Occupant Restraint Program, an important element of Road Safety Vision 2010, a partnership approved by the federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for transportation and highway safety to make Canada's roads the safest in the world.

For the purposes of the survey, rural Canada was defined as towns with a population of fewer than 10,000 but more than 1,000 that are located outside a census metropolitan area.