'Driver behaviour' the issue, not new highway speeds of 110 km/h
· Toronto Sun
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The potential for more accidents on the highways has nothing to do with the new speed limits introduced by the provincial government, more the nature of the drivers themselves.
“My concern is driver behaviour,” said Angelo DiCicco, the CEO and president of the Ontario Safety League (OSL). “Many people have seen an increase in assertive, bordering on aggressive driving as vehicles have become much more competent, capable and safe.”
“We have larger vehicles, specifically in the wintertime, driving faster because they are a lot safer, but what happens now is that people are over driving their abilities,” he added.
On June 26, the province increased the speed limit from 100 km/h to 110 km/h on sections of Hwys. 401 and 416 in Eastern Ontario, followed by sections of the Queen Elizabeth Way, and Hwys. 400, 402, 403 and 417. These increases will occur incrementally until Sept. 30.
The Ontario government says the speed limit increase is “helping get drivers where they’re going faster and safely.”
But “safely” is the key word from the government release. Many drivers on the roads don’t seem too concerned with what the word means in a driving context.
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The fundamentals a concern
DiCicco is dismayed that some drivers don’t understand or could care less about the rules of the road with something fundamental as a four-way stop, a roundabout, merging safely with traffic at highway speed or lane discipline while driving at high speeds. These concepts were designed to cut down on accidents and fatalities in the first place.
“I have noticed since COVID time the road tests have become shorter and it looks as though we have a cohort of drivers over the last six to eight years that have missed out on some of the fundamentals of the highway traffic act and the courtesies of sharing the roadway with all the other road users, in my opinion, aggressive driving and speeding and flagrant disrespect for the right of way or oblivious to it,” he said.
By the end of September, the 110 km/h limit will cover nearly 89% of Ontario’s highway network, 938 km worth.
“The Ontario Safety League supports evidence-based speed limits for highways that were engineered to safely accommodate them,” DiCicco said. “It is not a problem with increasing the speed limit of passenger vehicles as long as the science and engineering support it, which it does.”
The government predicts that commuters traveling between Sarnia, Toronto, and Ottawa stand to save up to 30 minutes per trip.
“If drivers remain patient, maintain proper following distances and avoid aggressive passing, the increased speed limit should be quite manageable, but if they become more aggressive, that they believe they have permission to drive faster, then that is when the risk increases.”
The OSL was formed in 1913 by a group of business and community leaders in response to the increasing threats to public safety brought about by the automobile.