A recent study suggests that BC is among the most dangerous provinces for young drivers to get behind the wheel of a vehicle.
The study, conducted by an Alberta-based law firm, MNH Injury Lawyers, found that BC reports 419 injuries and eight fatalities annually are among drivers between 15 and 19-years-old.
This puts BC in fifth among the provinces and territories for most injuries, and third for fatalities.
Additionally, BC has the highest highway speed limit in Canada on the Coquihalla Highway, at 120 km/h.
BC was assigned a composite score based on the number of injuries, fatalities, crime severity index, the earliest age a young person can drive alone, max highway speed and percentage of impaired driving incidents.
Based on this criteria, BC was assigned a composite score of 58.1, making it the fifth most dangerous province or territory for young drivers.
Ontario came in first as most dangerous with a composite score of 87.7. Of note, around 1,176 young drivers are injured annually in Ontario, approximately 16 die and impairment is involved in over 20% of incidents with young drivers.
According to the study, Nova Scotia is conversely the safest place for young drivers in Canada.
Nova Scotia’s composite score came in at 29.5, with only around 7 injuries taking place annually with almost no deaths whatsoever.
However, around 25% of incidents with young drivers were found to have involved some level of impairment.
Our neighbours to the east, Alberta, came in fourth for being slightly more dangerous than British Columbia.
In Alberta, the study found that around 597 people are injured annually with over seven deaths annually.
Their composite score was set at 59.8, and their high rate of impairment (25%) combined with Alberta having the lowest legal driving age in Canada was detrimental to this score.
Based on this data, what do you think would make BC a safer place for young drivers between the ages of 15 and 19-years-old?
Let us know in the comments.
