LAUSR

Background In British Columbia (BC), there are approximately 430 deaths, 6500 hospitalizations and 79,000 injuries due to motor vehicle crashes each year. Direct and indirect costs of transport-related injury was estimated at $639 million in 2010. Currently, there is no single suite of indicators to describe and monitor road safety in BC, making it difficult to assess performance across communities within the province. Development and validation of indicators enables road safety to be consistently assessed. Objectives Identify and ultimately establish a suite of road safety indicators for monitoring and evaluating road safety performance in BC. Methods A review of relevant literature identified previously established evidence-based road safety indicators used successfully in other jurisdictions. Experts were consulted to identify preferred indicators specific to BC. A secondary feedback and validation process followed to reach consensus on appropriate indicators for further approval and consensus by experts and decision-makers in road safety. Results 107 indicators were identified through literature review and 60 preferred indicators were identified through expert consultation for the BC context. Indicators were grouped into four categories based on the Safe Systems Approach: Safe Roads, Safe Vehicles, Safe Speed, and Safe Road Users. Through analysis and synthesis of this information key content and themes were identified. Conclusion This work serves as foundational to the establishment of a suite of road safety indicators in BC by which to gauge road safety efforts. A suite of indicators will allow performance comparisons to be made between communities and local, regional, and provincial trends may be monitored over time. Policy implications Indicators will be used to recommend a data management framework for policy-relevant whole-system reporting that could drive policy and funding for province-wide improvements in road safety.