Highway tragedy should be wake-up call for governments

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This article was published 16/06/2023 (855 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It usually takes a catastrophic event like the one that occurred Thursday on the Trans-Canada Highway near Carberry for governments to take steps to prevent death and serious injury.

Governments are good at responding to calamities after the fact, but not so good at taking proactive measures to prevent them in the first place.

The tragic deaths of 15 people in Thursday’s fiery crash — where a semi-trailer hit a bus with 25 people on board on their way to a nearby casino — will be a defining moment in history that will lead to improvements in highway safety. That is a certainty.

What those improvements will be and how much governments will be prepared to spend (a key factor when it comes to road safety) remain to be seen.

Anyone who has spent any time on highways in Canada — and compared them with road travel in the United States — knows the stark difference in safety between at-grade and grade-separated intersections. In Canada, it’s common, if not standard, to construct at-grade intersections in rural areas, where vehicles from local roadways intersect with highways at the same elevation.

On clear days, with no obstruction and when drivers are paying close attention to the road (including knowing where their blind spots are), at-grade intersections can work, even with large vehicles travelling at high speeds.

However, the risk of collision due to human error will always be higher with at-grade intersections. One false move, one lapse in judgment, can lead to serious injury or death far easier than with grade-separated intersections.

The risk of collision due to human error will always be higher with at-grade intersections.

The risk of collision due to human error will always be higher with at-grade intersections.

That’s why governments in the U.S. spend billions more on separating roadways at rural intersections (and on highway infrastructure generally) than Canada does. They make it a priority through federal funding. Canada, rightly or wrongly, does not.

It would be unrealistic to expect every rural intersection, or even most of them, to be grade separated. It’s simply not economical. But what Thursday’s tragedy will do is force governments to re-evaluate how intersections in rural areas are controlled and consider options to make them safer.

Most fatal motor vehicle collisions in Manitoba occur in rural areas. While there are more crashes in Winnipeg and other urban centres than in rural Manitoba, the number of vehicle-related deaths is higher in the latter.

According to Manitoba Public Insurance data, 62 per cent of fatal collisions occurred in rural locations between 2015 and 2019, compared with 19 per cent in Winnipeg and 20 per cent in other urban locations.

The data does not distinguish between highway and non-highway fatalities. However, in the aftermath of the Carberry tragedy, the spotlight will surely be on at-grade intersections at highway locations.

There are less expensive options to make those intersections safer, including reduced speed limits, traffic lights, eliminating obstructions, improved roadway angles, etc. Enhanced public education, including a highway safety campaign, would help. Each would result in various degrees of improved safety, but none would be as effective as the more expensive option of grade-separated roadways.

That’s where the debate will likely land. How much more are governments willing to spend to improve intersection safety? Are taxpayers (or drivers through user fees) willing to pay more? If so, how much more?

How much more are governments willing to spend to improve intersection safety? Are taxpayers (or drivers through user fees) willing to pay more? If so, how much more?

How much more are governments willing to spend to improve intersection safety? Are taxpayers (or drivers through user fees) willing to pay more? If so, how much more?

Already, governments in Canada struggle to keep up with basic highway maintenance, especially in Manitoba. Many of the province’s roadways are in deplorable condition and some need twinning, all of which is expensive.

Any meaningful debate about improving highway safety would have to involve the federal government. Substantially improving the condition and safety of Canadian highways would require far more funding from Ottawa than is currently spent.

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While tragedies such as the one on Thursday will elevate that debate, the overall data suggest roadways in Canada have become safer over the past 20 years. The number of collision fatalities in Canada has dropped steadily during that period to 1,768 in 2021 from 2,921 in 2002 – a 39 per cent decline, according to Transport Canada figures.

The number of serious injuries from collisions has been cut nearly in half to 8,185 in 2021 from 15,894 in 2002.

The decline in the fatality rate per 10,000 motor vehicles registered in Canada is even more striking: 0.67 in 2021 compared with 1.57 in 2002. Manitoba ranked slightly above the national average in 2021 in collision fatalities per 100,000 licensed drivers (8.1 compared with a national average of 6.5).

Still, the magnitude and seriousness of Thursday’s collision will draw attention to the fact many intersections in rural Canada are unsafe and should be upgraded. It will, and should, be a catalyst for change.

tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca

Tom Brodbeck
Columnist

Tom Brodbeck is an award-winning author and columnist with over 30 years experience in print media. He joined the Free Press in 2019. Born and raised in Montreal, Tom graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and commerce. Read more about Tom.

Tom provides commentary and analysis on political and related issues at the municipal, provincial and federal level. His columns are built on research and coverage of local events. The Free Press’s editing team reviews Tom’s columns before they are posted online or published in print – part of the Free Press’s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.