Research Co. and Glacier Media research looks at Canadians’ views on drivers
In 2021, the driving prowess of an entire country appeared to be turning the corner safely and confidently.
When we asked again earlier this month, the needle did not move much. For 46 per cent of Canadians , drivers are worse than they were five years ago. This leaves 40 per cent who think their city or town’s motorists are the same as before and only eight per cent who believe they are better. In what amounts to be a bit of a silver lining, our tracker of bad habits on the road sees reductions on five items. We still see most Canadians saying they witnessed a driver not signaling before a turn, but this indicator is down 10 points since 2022. In addition, half of us saw a car taking up two or more spots in a parking lot.
British Columbia was usually at or near the top when it came to driving blunders, but neighbouring Alberta commands the charts in 2023. This province is significantly ahead of the national average on drivers who choose not to signal before turning , parked cars taking up more spots than one and drivers not stopping at intersections . Atlantic Canada leads the way on close calls, at 45 per cent.