The Road Safety Monitor (RSM) is a unique, annual public opinion poll that takes the pulse of the nation on key traffic safety issues and tracks changes in opinions, attitudes and behaviours of Canadians using an online survey of a random, representative sample of Canadian drivers. RSM results are strongly correlated with fatality data and can therefore be used as an early warning/surveillance system.

The RSM 2024 fact sheet reveals that, deaths involving a drinking driver dropped to 459 in 2021, representing a 57.5% decrease from 1,079 in 1996. While progress is substantial, challenges remain. Self-reported driver behaviour in 2024 indicated 5.9% of Canadian drivers admitted to driving after drinking over the legal limit in the past 30 days, up slightly from 5.8% in 2023. Of concern, the percentage of drivers who drank alone before driving rose to 43.3% in 2024; an increase from 36.7% in 2023, reflecting broader issues similar to concerns about distracted driving and drug-impaired driving. In fact, 76.2% of Canadians identified drinking and driving as a significant public concern in 2024, with similar levels of concern reported for drivers using cellphones (71.8%) and drug-impaired drivers (72.8%). Most individuals who admitted to driving after drinking did so after consuming alcohol at home, but this behaviour declined slightly to 44.1% in 2024 compared to 46.4% in 2023. TIRF’s data underscore the status quo for tackling this issue is insufficient, and we need to innovate how we tackle impaired driving. We’re seeing shifts in drinking behaviours that call for evidence-based interventions, including social norming approaches, wrap around services to support treatment, and strategies for outreach to drivers who drink alone at home.

TIRF, with the ongoing support of sponsors, will continue to monitor trends and perceptions about drinking and driving in Canada in order to effectively inform drunk driving countermeasures.

Please see individual RSMs for sponsors.