Road & Trail
Over the years, ongoing efforts have been made to help increase awareness of the different measures anyone can take to help make our roads and trails safer. However, too many motor vehicle related incidents continue to occur in this province due to factors such as distracted, impaired or aggressive driving. In addition, more work still needs to be done to protect our vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
Distracted Driving
There is more to distracted driving than just texting when operating a motor vehicle. Distracted driving is the act of driving while engaging in any other activity which distract the driver’s attention away from the road. Bad habits while driving such as, writing, grooming and eating are a few other examples of distracted driving.
Any of these distractions can endanger you, your passengers, and others on the road. In addition, research confirms that certain activities while driving slow down your reaction time, makes it more difficult to stay in your lane, and makes it more likely for you to make mistakes on the road.
It is important to keep in mind that these visual, manual, and cognitive tasks can wait until you are safely parked or when you are not at the wheel. To learn more about road safety, we encourage you to click here for information and resources from Parachute.
Kids, Car Seats and Seatbelts
Motor vehicle collisions can cause serious injuries to the head, neck, spine and internal organs. However, children are at a higher risk of motor vehicle related injuries if they are not restrained properly. Did you know that using an appropriate child safety seat in the right way can reduce the risk of your child being injured by 70% when compared with children of similar ages in seat belts?
The truth is children cannot safely use the vehicle’s seatbelt until they’re at least 145 cm (4 feet 9 inches). Further, the backseat is the safest place for kids under the age of 13. If you’re unsure of the right time to progress from one stage to another, we encourage you to consult the resources developed by Child Safety Link. These include videos and useful fact sheets about how to correctly install and use the different types of child car restraints by stage.
Bicycle Safety
Cycling can be a fun activity especially when done safely. However, speed, inexperience and not wearing protective gear are among leading causes of cycling injuries.
To help make this activity safer in this province, Ellen’s Law requires drivers to leave one metre of space between their vehicles and cyclists on the road. While this means that drivers have a responsibility to make sure they look carefully for cyclists, it also means cyclists have a responsibility to make themselves as visible as possible to drivers, in addition to following the rules of the road.
This is why we encourage everyone to learn more about bicycle safety and how to safely share our roadways since road safety is everybody’s responsibility. To help you get started, here are some great resources and useful links:
Off-Road Vehicle Safety
Preparation is key to a safe and enjoyable experience. Before heading out, it is important to learn all you can about your off-road vehicle in addition to taking steps to understand how to ride smart, safe and in control by avoiding bad behaviours such as impaired, aggressive or distracted riding.
Responsible riders should also know their riding area to help avoid traveling along unsafe trails. For information about clubs and trail circuits near you, we encourage you to consult Quad NB and the NB Federation of Snowmobile Clubs.
To learn more about off-road vehicle safety, please consult the following resources: