QUEBEC CITY, April 27, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Since February, the CAA-Quebec Foundation has been touring some of the province's high schools in a bid to raise future drivers' awareness of the dangers involved in texting while driving, as well as impaired driving. By the time the tour wraps up in June, more than 5,000 Secondary V students in some 40 schools will have learned about road safety, thanks in part to the CAA-Quebec driving simulator.
Today, young people at École secondaire Gérard-Filion in Longueuil are benefiting from this initiative by the CAA-Quebec Foundation. For students who have never been behind the wheel of a real vehicle, the driving simulator is the perfect learning tool: it gives them a concrete way of gauging the risks involved in driving while using a cellphone or texting. They can also use it while wearing special glasses that simulate altered vision caused when one is under the influence.
"When the driver lowers his or her eyes to look at the phone, the simulator's screen becomes opaque: the driver loses all contact with the road. It's the same thing as in real life—except that in real life there's the very real risk of being in an accident," explains Yvon Lapointe, Director of the CAA-Quebec Foundation. He adds: "After the students take their tests, a road safety expert from the Foundation analyzes with them their driving behaviours. Judging by the comments we've received from participants, we are convinced this is something that will have a lasting impact on these future drivers."
Results of a wide-ranging study revealed
Today's event with students in Longueuil also provides an opportunity for the CAA-Quebec Foundation to announce the main conclusions of a wide-ranging investigative study of road safety, titled Sécurité ou insécurité routière dans la culture populaire - Enquête sur la tolérance à l'insécurité routière des détenteurs de permis de conduire du Québec ("Road Safety [or Lack Thereof] in the Public Mind: Investigating Tolerance of Unsafe Road Conditions and Behaviours Among Driver's Licence Holders in Quebec"). The findings have been brought to the attention of the key stakeholders in road safety in Quebec.
"Improving our knowledge of Quebec drivers' culture is one of the ways we can take increasingly more relevant and focused actions to make our roads safer and reduce the numbers of accidents and fatalities," Mr. Lapointe believes. A summary of the main findings of the study is attached with this press release. The full report (in French) is available online at caaquebec.com/fondation.
The CAA-Quebec Foundation was created in 2008. Its mission is to contribute to the progress of road safety education. To that end, it conducts research and acts as a resource complementing other Quebec-based specialists and organizations active in the field. CAA-Quebec, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1904, provides automotive, travel, residential and financial services and privileges to its 1.1 million members.
Road Safety (or Lack Thereof) in the Public Mind:
Key findings of the Quebec study
The very first investigative study by the CAA-Quebec Foundation, which is dedicated to progress in road safety education, confirms that the vast majority of Quebecers—approximately 90%—believe road accidents are related to failure to comply with the Highway Safety Code, and not simply the product of chance, and therefore that many such accidents are preventable. This is among the general findings of the study, the only one of its kind, which was conducted in Quebec in 2011 by surveying 1,700 drivers of all ages.
The study, titled Sécurité ou insécurité routière dans la culture populaire - Enquête sur la tolérance à l'insécurité routière des détenteurs de permis de conduire du Québec ("Road Safety [or Lack Thereof] in the Public Mind: Investigating Tolerance of Unsafe Road Conditions and Behaviours Among Driver's Licence Holders in Quebec"), was aimed mainly at evaluating Quebecers' tolerance of road accidents and of certain inappropriate driving behaviours. It was designed to promote a deeper understanding of the issue of drivers' own behaviours and how they perceive others' behaviours. The CAA-Quebec Foundation also sought to examine an oft-held assumption that there may exist subcultures when it comes to tolerance of unsafe road behaviours in various subgroups of drivers (of different ages, along gender lines, etc.). More specifically, the researchers wondered, are there subgroups of drivers who exhibit a higher tolerance of unsafe road behaviours?
The Foundation believes that the findings may well point to avenues of action for improving driver education. The study results may also make it possible to further refine awareness-raising strategies aimed at helping improve Quebec's road safety record.
The CAA-Quebec Foundation notes four major observations emergent from the study:
- "It's not me, it's the other guy."
- Driving moderately faster than the speed limit is socially acceptable.
- The road safety record is little known.
- The culture surrounding unsafe road behaviour in Quebec is surprisingly uniform.
The major observations
1. "It's not me, it's the other guy."
| a) | A total of 96% of driver's licence holders believe that most accidents are preventable through better driver behaviours. |
| b) | Motorists who took part in the study have no doubt that driving a motor vehicle involves risk. In fact, 98% of respondents are in agreement that it is possible to be killed or injured in a road accident even if one always drives carefully. Good driving behaviours are thus important, but people consider that they are somehow at the mercy of other drivers' carelessness. |
| c) | Further study results support this perception that it is others who embody dangerous behaviour: when discussing several inappropriate or illegal behaviours, respondents tend to say they are "good drivers" e.g., they say they wear their seatbelt, systematically activate turn signals, refrain from cellphone use while driving and never pass on the right on a highway. |
| d) | The same people, however, fairly regularly seem to notice other drivers exhibiting poor driving habits: they say they "very often" or "often" observe inappropriate or illegal behaviours; among others, failure to activate turn signals, driving with a cellphone in hand, and dangerously overtaking other cars on the right. |
| To sum up, it may be said that drivers in Quebec seem to perceive their own driving as generally better than that of others. This situation leads to many questions. Would it be possible to simply ask motorists to behave better and thus improve the road safety record? What can be done to get people to care? |
| — Yvon Lapointe, Director, CAA-Quebec Foundation |
2. Driving moderately faster than the speed limit is socially acceptable.
| a) | One-third of driver's licence holders surveyed say that a driver who fails to obey the rules is not necessarily a dangerous driver. |
| b) | The study shows that there is a persistent tolerance among Quebecers of speeding: 53% of respondents, in all groups combined, agree with the idea that it is better to follow the flow of traffic than to obey the letter of the law. |
| c) | A very large majority of driver's licence holders believe that the "critical" speed, i.e., the speed at which they feel their safety may be endangered, is: |
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| d) | As for the possibility that they may be given a speeding ticket, 6 out of 10 drivers say it rarely or never enters their mind. Those who have been stopped by the police before, however, are more conscious of the fact that it might happen again. |
| These results are somewhat perplexing: there seems to be more tolerance of speeding than of other actions. Following the flow of traffic, however, is not necessarily synonymous with safety. |
| — Yvon Lapointe, Director, CAA-Quebec Foundation |
3. The road safety record is little known.
| a) | More than three-quarters of respondents say that road accidents are a significant threat to public welfare, and 93% believe it is worth making investments to combat the problem. |
| b) | On a list of factors likely to affect their safety, respondents ranked road accidents second, just behind the state of the health-care system. Road accidents ranked ahead of the economic situation and workplace accidents, among other factors. |
| c) | In addition, a majority of drivers (87%) do not consider themselves to be any safer on our roads today than they were five years ago. |
| d) | More than 80% of people, however, are unable to correctly estimate the number of people killed or seriously injured on Quebec roads each year. They tend to mention a number far lower than the actual statistic, where both fatalities and serious injuries are concerned. |
| Are there benefits to raising awareness of the road safety record? How is it that a majority of drivers do not feel any safer, when the safety record has not only improved, but measures have been implemented, such as use of photo radar and red-light cameras, or stiffer penalties for impaired driving offences? |
| — Yvon Lapointe, Director, CAA-Quebec Foundation |
4. The culture surrounding unsafe road behaviour in Quebec is surprisingly uniform.
| a) | One observation that emerges from the detailed analysis of the results is that, contrary to popular belief, no one group of drivers is more tolerant of unsafe road behaviours than are other groups. Differences across gender, age, area of residence, etc., are rather limited and do not point to the existence of subcultures. |
| b) | With regard to age and behaviour, there are few significant differences. Though it is true that people aged 65 and older are those who adhere most strongly to good driving practices, the behaviours of young drivers in the 16-24 and 25-34 age groups, with only a few exceptions, do not contrast sharply with those of older drivers. |
Conclusion
To sum up, the vast majority of driver's licence holders questioned believe that drivers who fail to obey the Highway Safety Code are "often" or "very often" responsible for road accidents.
In addition, the drivers who took part in the study acknowledge that accidents are preventable, but they nevertheless tolerate certain practices, such as moderate speeding. Among the most common and most socially acceptable behaviours are cellphone use while driving and speeding.
In the Foundation's opinion, the study, unique in Quebec, will surely help achieve a better understanding of Quebecers' culture when it comes to road safety (or the lack of it) and pave the way for even more relevant actions. The issue is all the more important in that the entire population can be addressed, for example by urging people to engage in realistic self-criticism.
The Foundation is pleased to make this wide-ranging report public and make its findings available to all stakeholders actively involved in road safety. We trust that it will advance our knowledge of the issue and help in the implementation of inspiring actions for the common good.
The full study report may be consulted (in French) on the website of the CAA-Quebec Foundation (fondationcaaquebec.com), under the heading Activities and studies.
The CAA-Quebec Foundation was created in 2008. Its mission is to contribute to the progress of road safety education. To that end, it conducts research and acts as a resource complementing other Quebec-based specialists and organizations active in the field. CAA-Quebec, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1904, provides automotive, travel, residential and financial services and privileges to its 1.1 million members.
Methodology and acknowledgements
This study was conducted by means of 5,000 questionnaires mailed in January 2011 to a representative sample of the population of driver's licence holders in Quebec (gender, age, language, area of residence and type of driver's licence). The final selection of 5,000 was performed randomly within the five listed parameters. A total of 1,712 completed questionnaires were returned to the Foundation (response rate: 34%). Participants were asked to provide responses to a total of 119 survey components. The questionnaire evaluated the following aspects, among others: degree of knowledge of the road safety record, and degree of concern about road safety on both social and personal levels. Driving behaviours adopted and perceptions of behaviours adopted by other drivers, as well as the degree of acceptability of various behaviours, were also evaluated. The CAA-Quebec Foundation thanks the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec for its help in validating the questionnaire and for processing the mass mailing. In closing, the Foundation would also like to acknowledge the thorough work of independent researcher Nathalie Beaulieu, who has been engaged in the field of road safety research for more than 20 years.
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