Community involvement improves road safety
It’s no secret that teamwork makes things happen. This is obvious to many sports-minded people and those who work with a group of peers at their job. Many good ideas grow better when transplanted into the mind of others. When it comes to improving communities to make them safer for many, teamwork is also very important — it allows people to come up with ideas to help identify and improve issues, including road safety. As an insurance provider who helps Canadians protect their possessions, Allstate Canada considers itself a key community partner when it comes to safety.
Allstate Canada has been releasing its claims collision data annually through its Safe Driving Study, which shares the safest places in Canada to drive. The study ranks communities based on collision frequencies in various cities and compares the data across Canada. Their goal is to generate awareness and conversation regarding the importance of safe driving. They also hope to encourage people to regularly practice safe driving habits and get more involved in their communities to improve road safety.
To take things a step further, as part of the 2018 Safe Driving Study campaign, Allstate Canada launched the Allstate Takes Action contest, asking Canadians to submit road safety ideas they would like to see implemented to help improve road safety within their community for a chance to win the fix. Over a three-month period, Canadians across the country submitted over 3,500 ideas for consideration. Talk about community involvement!
Many of the ideas came from concerns surrounding areas near schools and parks. Drivers have a tendency to drive too fast in those zones, which many of the submissions noted. Complaining to yourself or friends won’t change the outcome. Everyone has the opportunity to improve road safety. You just have to get your voices heard.
Community involvement is a great way to see things change. You may not be able to control the actions of other drivers, but you can help them reflect on their habits. Here are a few of the suggestions the contest entrants from across Canada came up with:
- Adding speed bumps to force drivers to slow down
- Flashing lights to warn drivers to slow down approaching pedestrian crossings
- School zone signs with speed limit posted
- Adding a bike lane to help keep vehicles further away from cyclists
- Electronic speed warning signs to get drivers to slow down
These are all good ideas that can help reduce pedestrian and cyclist injuries and fatalities across our communities. Some members of the community have spoken. Now we need the rest of the community to listen. Drivers need to take ownership of their actions to help keep themselves and the other members of their community safe on the roads. Protecting the lives of our young pedestrians and cyclists means we’re also protecting our future. It’s well worth it.
With your broad experience across North America, can you please publish results for which traffic measures decrease collisions the most?
My experience with ‘nag lights’ in safety zones is that people driving cars tend to tune them out after a short time. *more signage* tends to seem to not change behaviour.