Active Transportation Safety and Road Traffic Injury in British Columbia

This report was prepared for decision makers and policy makers in the provincial government to support goals of increasing active transportation while striving for Vision Zero. It uses linked datasets encompassing insurance claims, police reports, hospital admissions, and sociodemographic information to describe changes in road traffic injury rates over time, identify population groups with higher rates, and discern factors that influence injury severity.

Key findings:

• Insurance claims miss just over 25% of injuries requiring hospital admission for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.
• Falls on public roadways (including sidewalks) are an important and increasing source of injuries for pedestrians and cyclists but are not captured by auto-insurance claims or police collision data.
• Cyclists and pedestrians face a disproportionately higher risk of injury and death compared to motor vehicle occupants. Reductions over time are primarily from fewer motor-vehicle collisions, while pedestrian falls and single-bicycle crashes are increasing.
• Inequalities exist: lower-income individuals and those in less wealthy neighborhoods face higher injury rates; older age is associated with a higher proportion of fall-related traffic injuries.
• Speed limits >30 km/hr and heavier vehicles are associated with higher risk of fatal injury for all road users, with a greater effect on pedestrians and cyclists.

Considerations:

• Stratify road safety goals by road user type, population groups, and crash types.
• Expand the definition of pedestrian injuries to include falls on roadways (including sidewalks).
• Manage kinetic energy via speed management and physical separation as part of a Safe Systems approach.
• A provincial travel survey is needed to accurately assess pedestrian and cyclist risk.
• Improve emergency department data collection on mechanisms of injury (including minor injuries) to enhance surveillance, risk-factor analysis, and severity assessment.

Publications:

• Underreporting and selection bias of serious road traffic injuries in auto insurance claims and police reports in British Columbia, Canada. (Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 2025).
• Comparing pedestrian and cyclist injuries from falls and collisions in British Columbia, Canada: Frequencies and population characteristics. (Journal of Transport & Health, 2025).