The number of people who died in fatal car accidents in Ontario last year increased for the third year in a row to historic highs, according to car accident fatality data compiled by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
“While traffic volumes were up in 2022 (over 2021), the increases in fatalities noted in the data should not be viewed or accepted as an inevitable outcome of more people out on roads,” OPP officials said in a news release quoted by CTV News Toronto. “By any measure, a life lost in a preventable collision or other traffic incident is one too many.”
Continued increases in car accident fatalities in Ontario should concern all drivers in the province. That’s why our Toronto car accident lawyers at Smitiuch Injury Law support efforts to reduce the number of motor vehicle deaths in Canada’s most populated province.
Fatal car accident statistics
Since 2019, the number of people who have died in car accidents in Ontario has increased every year. Last year, a record 359 people died in 74,058 Ontario car accidents, an increase of 10.4 percent compared to 2021, when there were 325 motor vehicle accident deaths and 60,544 car accidents province-wide, according to the OPP.
To put such numbers in perspective, 313 people died in car accidents in Ontario in 2020, which was described as a historic high by the OPP at the time, according to CBC News. That year, car accident fatalities were up 22 percent compared to 2019, with 257 deaths in the province.
As for previous years, there were 333 car accident fatalities in Ontario in 2018 and 343 deaths on Ontario roads in 2017, according to CTV News at the time. And compared to the rest of the country, Ontario’s going in the opposite direction. Nationwide, car accident fatalities have decreased almost every year in Canada from 2006 to 2020, according to Government of Canada car accident statistics.
Common causes of fatal crashes in Ontario
As in previous years, certain types of fatal accidents were more common than others last year in Ontario. Some of the leading causes of fatal car accidents in 2022 in Ontario included:
- Speeding-related accidents, which resulted in 85 car accident deaths last year.
- Drug and alcohol-related car accidents, which accounted for 64 deaths.
Distracted driving and not wearing seatbelts were also leading causes of fatal car accidents in Ontario last year. However, the OPP did not provide specific statistics for those particular categories.
Whatever the circumstances, OPP officials advised drivers to make Ontario’s roads safer for everyone on the road.
“We can all do our part to stay safe and reduce the number of collisions and fatalities in Ontario,” OPP officials said, as quoted by CTV News Toronto.
A Toronto car accident lawyer can fight for the compensation you deserve
You might think you don’t need a lawyer if another driver clearly caused your Ontario car accident. But the reality is many car accident claims turn out to be complicated legal cases. And if you don’t have an experienced lawyer handling your car accident claim or lawsuit, you might not get the money you rightfully deserve.
At Smitiuch Injury Law, we understand what’s at stake. That’s why we want to meet with you and get right to work on your accident claim. When you have our legal team on your side, you can rest assured that we will leave no stone unturned to obtain the best possible outcome for your case.
Discover what we can do for you. Contact our law firm and schedule a free consultation. We have three offices conveniently located in Toronto, Brantford, and Simcoe, Ontario.
