November 2009

 

Think and Drive: A Successful Story in Niagara

Niagara Region’s roadways have gone through a transformation over the past several years.  The change doesn’t come from new and improved infrastructure but rather from informed and educated drivers.  A group called the Regional Niagara Road Safety Committee (RNRSC) designed the Think and Drive program which concentrated on a comprehensive injury prevention approach to road safety, industry education and evaluation.  The RNRSC is made up of The Niagara Regional Police Service, Niagara Regional Public Works, CAA Niagara, and The Niagara Regional Health Unit.

Based on regional collision data, Niagara road ways were identified as having one of the highest rates of fatal and serious injury motor vehicle collisions per capita.  The stakeholders therefore set out a five-year strategic plan that aimed to:

• Decrease the number of serious motor vehicle collisions by 10% where factors relating to vehicles, driver actions, and the driving environment are of primary consideration, and;
• Enhance the ability to effectively share road-safety-related information among the (RNRSC) partner agencies and the community.

The stakeholders identified several factors that affected the high collision rates. These were:

• Impairment
• Speeding
• Driver error/ Distraction
• Rural roads

The Committee’s objectives during the pilot project were to increase:

• Awareness of the Niagara collision problem;
• Knowledge of driving safety skills; and
• Intentions for drivers to change their attitudes and behaviors;

The pilot project involving a subset of two Niagara communities was a success and due to its accomplishment the program was phased in to include the entire Niagara region. However to reach a larger audience, recommendations included using more media tools for greater reach. This included using a local media communications company, investing in advertising and publicity, and incorporating new media such as social networking websites.

To date the results of the program are optimistic. A Regional Police Service representative reported that the number of collisions fell by 6% in the period 2007-2008, and the number of fatal collisions fell by 20%.

Linda Beyer of the Niagara Regional Health Unit has reported that there is growing interest in the Think and Drive campaign from other Ontario regions and that the committee has grown to include four additional members: The Ministry of Transportation, Ontario Provincial Police, Niagara Parks Police, and Niagara Emergency Medical Services.

Public Perceptions of Alcohol Policies

In June of this year, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health released a bulletin outlining work [PDF] that several researchers had done with regards to public alcohol policies.

The researchers extrapolated data from the 2007 CAMH Monitor. The CAMH Monitor, first conducted in 1977, is the longest ongoing addiction and mental health survey among adults in Canada. The survey is designed to serve as the primary vehicle for monitoring substance use and mental health problems among Ontario adults. The CAMH Monitor provides epidemiological trends in alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, problem use, public opinion regarding drug issues and policies, and mental health among Ontarians. About 2,200 Ontario adults are interviewed each year, using random-digit dialling.

The researchers studied the answers in relation to:

• Alcohol availability in corner stores;
• Whether beer and liquor store hours should be changed;
• Whether restaurants, bars and taverns should have longer hours, shorter hours or stay the same; and
• Whether more or less licenses should be issued for restaurants to serve alcohol.

The answers to the abovementioned items will be presented and discussed in an upcoming webconference, Alcohol Policies: Reflections on Public Perceptions, Science and Politics, moderated by Norman Giesbrecht, Ph.D, of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 11:00 am.