Mr. Speaker, I know that all Members share my interest in doing everything we can to prevent needless deaths and injuries from occurring on our streets and highways. Every injury or loss of life is especially hard on our communities, especially when there is so much we can do to reduce the risks associated with the use of snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles (ATV), and vehicles on our roads and trails.
Two thousand and eleven is the Year of Road Safety in Canada, Mr. Speaker. It is the first year of Canada’s Road Safety Strategy 2015 as well as the
international decade of Road Safety 2020. This is a good time to take stock of what we are doing to increase road safety in the Northwest Territories, and to decrease the number of needless collisions, injuries and fatalities.
Increased safety and security is one of the action areas under this government’s strategic plan. Through the Building our Future strategic initiative, we have invested in the Drive Alive Program which has a number of initiatives and partnerships to make our roads and highways safer.
Recently, Mr. Speaker, Members were asked to assist the Drive Alive “Be Visible, Be Safe” program by distributing retro-reflective armbands to their constituents, and the response from Members was enthusiastic. I thank each of you for your assistance, which enabled us to deliver this program in every part of the Territory.
Mr. Speaker, I would also ask for everyone’s assistance for our Buckle Up NWT initiative which will be ramping up over the next few months. We recently learned that at 40 percent, seatbelt usage in communities outside Yellowknife is the lowest in Canada. We know from collision statistics that a person who is not wearing a seatbelt is 17 times more likely to die than those who do.
Over the next two years, the Drive Alive Program will have a special focus on seatbelt usage in our communities. Drive Alive will partner with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, municipal enforcement, regional leaders and the other organizations to make people aware of the danger they put themselves and others in when they do not wear a seatbelt. I would like Members of this Assembly to be among the leaders who help us achieve the Buckle Up NWT goal of bringing the use of seatbelts in the NWT up to the national average of 95 percent. Mr. Speaker, I will have more to announce on this important initiative in the next few weeks.
Other initiatives for 2011 the Year of Road Safety under our Drive Alive Program include:
the current pledge campaign to reduce the number of people who use their cell phone while driving;
an impaired driving awareness campaign, including impairment caused by driver fatigue; and
a campaign to address speed as a contributing factor in collisions, particularly in bison country.
As part of our campaign on speeding, we will be informing residents that the penalties for violating the speed limit in construction and school zones have doubled. We will also be reminding drivers that when they are passing stopped emergency vehicles, they must slow to half the posted speed limit. We need to protect our police and municipal enforcement officers and our firefighters as they do their jobs.
Mr. Speaker, when trying to change the behaviour of drivers and others using our transportation system, our preference is always to inform and raise awareness of the better choices that each one of us can make. Voluntary changes like this are usually the most effective and are changes that last for life.
Our efforts to make our streets and highways safer are continuing. The support of Members to help make that happen continues to be appreciated. Every step we take towards preventing injuries and deaths help us deliver on this Assembly’s goals of healthy, educated people and sustainable, vibrant, safe communities. Mahsi cho.
