Report
Why prevention beats reaction
The case for shifting community road safety from reacting after harm to preventing it earlier.
In 2023, Canada recorded 1,964 motor vehicle fatalities and 9,261 serious injuries. Most road safety spending still happens after harm occurs. This report makes the case for shifting that balance earlier.
The reactive default
Most municipal road safety work today is triggered by a collision, a complaint or a fatality — by definition, after harm has already happened.
The prevention gap
Communities often have the local knowledge to see risk building before a serious incident, but no structured, privacy-safe way to turn that knowledge into action.
What earlier action looks like
CRSIF pilots pair community observation with public collision data, so a school zone or intersection can be flagged and addressed before it becomes a statistic.
The case for funders and partners
Prevention-focused pilots are typically lower-cost and more fundable than reactive infrastructure projects, and produce evidence that supports future grant applications.
Key Points
- 1,964 motor vehicle fatalities and 9,261 serious injuries in Canada in 2023
- Prevention pilots are built to be fundable, not just well-intentioned
- Evidence-led, not enforcement-led
Working draft — pending final review before publication.