Road Safety Strategic Plan
2025
Niagara Region's roadmap to reduce and eventually eliminate serious injuries and fatalities on Regional roads, guided by the global Vision Zero initiative.
Every 23 hours
An injury collision
Every 44 days
A fatal collision
Every 11 days
A pedestrian fatal or injury collision
Every 17 days
A cyclist fatal or injury collision
Vision, framework and scope
Vision: Niagara region is a community that values healthy and safe mobility for all residents and visitors, regardless of how they move. Niagara is committed to working together to achieve Vision Zero, the elimination of fatalities and serious injuries on roadways.
Framework: Vision Zero, a global road safety initiative founded in Sweden in 1997, based on the belief that no loss of life from a traffic collision is acceptable — and that road design, regulation and community planning can prevent human error from turning into tragedy.
Scope: Covers the more than 1,700 lane-kilometres of Regional roads across Niagara's 12 local municipalities.
How this plan was built
The plan takes a data-driven approach. Collisions on Regional roads from 2017–2019 and 2022–2023 were analyzed — 1,907 injury collisions and 42 fatal collisions in total — to identify where and why serious collisions are happening. (2020–2021 was excluded due to pandemic-related travel disruption.)
It was developed with a technical advisory committee of Regional and municipal staff, Niagara Regional Police, Public Health, the Ministry of Transportation, and community groups. That committee will evolve into an ongoing Road Safety Working Group to guide implementation.
The approach
By the numbers
7
Emphasis areas identified from collision trends
43
Countermeasures across engineering, enforcement and education
1,700+
Seven emphasis areas
The data
More than half of all serious collisions in Niagara are linked to intersections or aggressive and distracted driving — the two largest emphasis areas.
Commercial vehicles
Most collisions happen at intersections, typically from lost control or failure to yield the right-of-way.
Distracted and aggressive driving
Failing to yield the right-of-way, following too closely, and disobeying traffic control are the leading contributing behaviours.
Impaired driving
Alcohol remains the most common cause, though drug use and extreme fatigue also contribute to collisions.
Intersections
The most common location for serious collisions from mostly angle collisions at signalized intersections, followed by rear-end collisions.
Rural roads
Involve higher operating speeds, curves and nighttime driving. Niagara's agricultural roads need their own safety approach.
Vulnerable road users
About a third of Niagara residents don't drive or have access to a car — protecting pedestrians and cyclists is a priority.
Young drivers
One-fifth of all injury and fatal collisions involve an at-fault driver 25 years old or younger.
Three ways we're taking action
The action plan
Directly target high-collision areas
Focus
Five in-service road safety reviews of existing high-priority roads completed every year, with recommendations acted on the following year
2025 Reviews underway
- Lundy's Lane
- Highway 20
- Woodlawn Road
- Glendale Avenue
- Montrose Road
Incorporate road safety in capital projects
Focus
Independent road safety audits during the design of major road reconstruction projects, at minimal added cost
2025 Audits underway
- Lundy's Lane
- Ontario Street
- Niagara Street
- Louth Street
- King Street
- Main Street
Network-wide countermeasure programs
Focus
Programs applied across the whole road network, funded based on each area's share of total collisions
2025 Examples
- Expanded speed display boards and automated speed enforcement
- New Community Safety Zones
- Foad safety curriculum for high schools
Learn more about the plan
Download the complete Road Safety Strategic Plan, including collision data, all 43 countermeasures and the monitoring plan, and explore our traffic and road safety programs.