A recent national survey by the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) has uncovered a worrying trend.
They found that nearly 70 per cent of Canadians admit to speeding in residential areas, with one in five regularly exceeding speed limits.
Julia Kent, CAA’s director of advocacy and community relations, sheds light on the factors contributing to this behaviour.
“The instant gratification of getting to Point A to Point B is important to people right now and they’re not paying attention to posted speed limits,” Kent said.
CAA’s approach to changing Canadian perceptions about speeding involves several strategies.
Laws are already in place to regulate speeding, and enforcement of these laws is ongoing. However, the challenge remains in making speeding socially unacceptable.
Kent stresses that raising awareness about speeding is crucial, as it endangers not only the drivers themselves but also pedestrians and other road users.
“A pedestrian hit at 40 kilometres per hour has a 60 per cent chance of survival, but this drops dramatically to 20 per cent if the speed is 50 kilometres per hour or higher,” she said.
For more information on the Canadians speeding survey, visit CAA’s website.
