By Jeff Sanford
Toronto, Ontario — November 19, 2015 — The Co-operators Group has signed a new partnership with the Canadian Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) dedicated to reducing distracted driving in Canada.
According to The Co-operators, research suggests that distracted driving is “a substantial factor in road fatalities, and may be equal to or even exceed impaired driving in at least some jurisdictions in Canada.” The partnership is dedicated to reducing the number of incidents.
The Canadian TIRF is a national, independent road safety research institute focused on identifying the causes of road crashes and developing programs and policies to address them effectively. The Co-operators will support TIRF’s research and educational work focused on reducing distracted driving.
“As an insurer of more than one million vehicles, we see first-hand the devastating effects of traffic injuries and fatalities on the lives of our clients,” said Kathy Bardswick, President and CEO of The Co-operators. “Distracted driving is a contributing factor in one of every four major injury crashes. We are determined to make a difference by working to change behaviour around distracted driving to make our roads and communities safer for everyone.”
The partnership will allow TIRF to create a public online repository of data, information and resources that can serve as an easily accessible tool for stakeholders and others with an interest in the issue. In addition, a multi-stakeholder working group will be created, which will develop a national evidence-informed, comprehensive action plan to combat distracted driving in 2016. In the coming weeks, as part of the partnership, an environmental scan report on efforts to combat distracted driving will be published. The research will track and benchmark legislative, policy, enforcement, educational and advocacy efforts in jurisdictions across Canada to establish a solid foundation on which future initiatives could be planned and coordinated across organizations. This will be done in partnership with another group dedicated to stopping distracted driving, the MADD-like, Drop It And Drive (D.I.A.D.)
“In the past decade, our understanding of distracted driving has grown immensely, and governments and agencies have responded and undertaken work on several fronts to implement a comprehensive approach to tackle it,” said Robyn Robertson, president and CEO of TIRF. “It’s equally important that we leverage the experiences and knowledge gained, not only strengthen programs and policies, but also to find better ways to coordinate the wide-ranging activities underway, and become more efficient as well as effective.”
The partnership with TIRF is part of the Drive out Distraction program initiated by The Co-operators. The program was announced on the National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims and is part of The Co-operators’ Drive out Distraction program.
