There has been a lot of debate on this topic and I happened to come across this map. Feel free to discuss, rant or ignore.
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Speed Limits Across Canada
- Thread starter Bradsma
- Start date
There has been a lot of debate on this topic and I happened to come across this map. Feel free to discuss, rant or ignore.
Yup. Today's posted speed limits were basically set during an era when cars were huge and heavy, had wallowy, floaty suspensions, dodgy tires, no safety systems (ABS, TC etc) and so on. Modern cars are simply so much more capable and safe that today's limits are an anachronism.
As you note though, Ontario drivers, by and large, lack discipline, focus, situational awareness and many lack basic driving skills (this last point is epidemic among the demographic that buy Toyota products...)
Sadly, despite increases in modern vehicle safety and capability and ever-safer highway designs, the corn-syrup-bloated sack of meat behind the wheel is going to be the limiting factor to any increases in the limit in Ontario.
Yet despite all this, and despite the 401 being one of the busiest highways on the continent, and despite Ontario being one of the most densely populated areas with the highest traffic density in Canada, Ontario's roads are the safest on the continent with the lowest fatality rates.
Why is that? Are our cars better than those elsewhere in Canada or the US? Are our roads better? How is it that we do so well as far as traffic safety is concerned despite all the moaning around here over how bad Ontario drivers are?
I have a very hard time believing this. Got a source to these stats?
I want to answer why, but it would be easier for me to ask that you provide sources for your statement. Evening assuming it is true and we do have the lowest fatality rates, how do we fair with non-fatal accidents? I would say the lack of fatal incidents is simply due to the advances in vehicle safety, if anything.
ddusseld
Well-known member
Agreed. Our Ontario roads are remarkably safe considering the traffic density. This is in part due to our drivers.
The average car driver in Ontario is just that, average. Competent enough to do what most drivers want to do, drive from point a to point b and arrive safely. Could they be better? Of course. Are there really bad drivers in Ontario? Again, of course. But I believe the vast majority of drivers are competent enough to not be hazards. This said, I'd still really like to raise the bar of what it means to be average. Mandatory training and retesting would be a great thing. Never happen but it would be nice.
The average car driver in Ontario is just that, average. Competent enough to do what most drivers want to do, drive from point a to point b and arrive safely. Could they be better? Of course. Are there really bad drivers in Ontario? Again, of course. But I believe the vast majority of drivers are competent enough to not be hazards. This said, I'd still really like to raise the bar of what it means to be average. Mandatory training and retesting would be a great thing. Never happen but it would be nice.
kiwi
Well-known member
because generally, in MY opinion fatal collisions happen more with a head on collision than a side swipe or rear ender. The traffic on the 401 is channelled in corridors with a decent centre median.
Having said that, I am very saddened to hear the news about the collision that happened near Shelburne with the woman and the children who died in the collision with the garbage truck. I will be curious to find out what the cause of the accident was.
That still doesn't explain it. Ontario has more than just divided highways like the 401, as do other jurisdictions in North American.
Traffic moves so slowly 23.5/24 hours in a day, it's harder and harder to get into a fatal collision. No space.
Last election, the Freedumb Party of Ontario promised to fix Toronto traffic with 120 km/hr speed limits.
http://www.freedomparty.on.ca/
http://www.freedomparty.on.ca/
Only in the core GTA, and that would mirror the same effect in most major urban setting in other parts of Canada and the US. I've been stop and go in Montreal to far greater effect than in Toronto, ditto in San Francisco, Seattle, New Orleans, Detroit and elsewhere. There just as here, there is a huge part of the province that doesn't see congestion to such a degree.
Riceburner
Well-known member
How is that going to fix volume when most already do above that on the highways?
Don't try and tell that to libertarians, I heard the radio ad while sitting parked on the 403 and had a good laugh. The problem is too many people using highways that haven't really been expanded in 30 years while the population has increased over 400%.
The reason why Ontario has the high ranking that it does is due to "us". The "us" I mean are two-wheelers and the lack of them. The other jurisdictions in North America which have higher motor vehicle mortality rates have a greater make up of motorcycle and motorscooter riders than Ontario. Ontario has a lower percentage of total vehicles being two-wheelers and this is giving you and the Ministry of Transportation this over-inflated perception of accomplishment regarding road safety.
Roadghost
Well-known member
Well, the simple answer to this is that Ontarians spend most of their time doing under 30km/h sitting in traffic jams. At that speed, fatalities due to collisions are quite unusual, yet Ontarians still seem to do it.
That is a simple GTA-centric answer and one that is simply wrong for the majority of drivers in the province and even for many drivers in the GTA as well.
Really? Motorcycles make up 3% of the US road vehicle fleet compared to 2.9% of Canada's road vehicle fleet. Motorcycles despite having a higher fatality rate are still an insignificant source of fatalities as far as the bigger picture goes on either side of the border.
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