Ontarians who have street-raced at least once in the past year are five times more likely than other drivers to have crashed their vehicle at some point during those 12 months.
Researchers from Western University and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have produced the first Canadian survey that looks systematically at the demographics and crash rates of adult street racers in Ontario.
The data show one per cent of drivers – potentially as many as 86,000 people – admit to street racing at least once in the previous year. They are more likely to be single, young and men. They are also more likely than the Ontario average to drive after using alcohol or marijuana.
“We know that those who engage in street racing also tend to engage in other risky behaviours that, on their own, can increase crash rates,” CAMH researcher and report lead author Christine Wickens said. “But even when we adjust for all other variables — age, sex, driving distance, impaired driving — we see this correlation between self-admitted street racers and significantly higher crash numbers.”
As the study points out, despite its prominence in popular culture and movies like The Fast and the Furious franchise, very little empirical research has been done on the threat street racing poses to public safety.
Report co-author Evelyn Vingilis, a family medicine professor in Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, said, “It’s clear that some people feel a need for speed. That’s not necessarily a bad thing if it’s only on the big screen — but in real life, the risks associated with stunt driving have some serious implications, including collisions that are eminently preventable and come at a high cost to health and society.”
Ontario introduced street-racing and stunt-driving legislation in 2007, with penalties that include vehicle impoundment, licence suspension, higher fines and possible imprisonment. That has resulted in fewer driving injuries and fatalities among young men. But these data – collected since the new laws were enacted – show that a core of adult street racers remains undeterred.
The study entitled “Street racing among the Ontario adult population: Prevalence and association with collision risk” is published in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention. It surveyed driving habits and lifestyle risks of 11,263 Ontario adults between 2009 and 2014.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Debora Van Brenk, Media Relations Officer, Western University, 519-661-2111 x85165, or on mobile at 519-318-0657 and deb.vanbrenk@uwo.ca
Sean O’Malley, Senior Media Relations Specialist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 416-595-6015 and media@camh.ca
ABOUT WESTERN: Western University delivers an academic experience second to none. Since 1878, The Western Experience has combined academic excellence with life-long opportunities for intellectual, social and cultural growth in order to better serve our communities. Our research excellence expands knowledge and drives discovery with real-world application. Western attracts individuals with a broad worldview, seeking to study, influence and lead in the international community.
ABOUT THE CENTRE FOR ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH: The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada’s largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world’s leading research centres in the area of addiction and mental health. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental health and addiction issues. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto and is a Pan American Health organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. For more information, please visit www.camh.ca or follow us on Twitter @CAMHnews
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