The fast and the crashed: study shows collisions five times more likely for street racers

TORONTO, April 25, 2017 /CNW/ - 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.

Using data from the CAMH Monitor survey, researchers from Western University and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have produced the first Canadian study 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. Most are more likely to be single, young men. They are also more likely 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," said CAMH scientist and lead author Dr. Christine Wickens. "But even when we adjust for other risk 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 the prominence of street racing in popular culture and movies like The Fast and the Furious franchise, very little empirical research has been done on the threat posed to public safety.

Western University family medicine professor Dr. Evelyn Vingilis, who co-authored the report, 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, license 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.

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ABOUT THE CENTRE FOR ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH (CAMH): 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

SOURCE Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Sean O'Malley, Senior Media Relations Specialist, 416-595-6015, [email protected]; Media contacts: Debora Van Brenk, Media Relations Officer, Western University, 519-661-2111 x85165, or on mobile at 519-318-0657 and [email protected]