Road Safety

Road safety is everyone's responsibility — from the people who design and build the roads, to every person who shares in using the roads, whether walking, rolling, cycling, or driving.

Approved by Regional Council in July 2024, the Road Safety Strategy (2024) describes the Halifax Regional Municipality’s approach to eliminating traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries by 2038. The Strategy is the second guiding document produced for the Halifax Regional Municipality’s Road Safety Program, succeeding the Strategic Road Safety Framework (2018).

Vision Zero

Through the Road Safety Strategy (2024), the municipality adopts the principle of Vision Zero. Through this vision, the municipality’s goal is to maintain a downward trend in the rate of fatal and serious injuries from collisions per 100,000 residents.

Vision Zero is an internationally recognized road safety concept first introduced in the 1990s in Sweden. Adopted around the world, Vision Zero asserts fatalities and serious injuries on our roads are preventable, and that prevention is our shared responsibility. The Road Safety Strategy adopts the principle of Vision Zero and the related Safe System approach to road safety.

How we will achieve it

The Road Safety Strategy’s Vision Zero is achieved through a number or initiatives like physical changes to roads (engineering), working with key partners and sharing information that teaches people how to safely use our roads (education and engagement) and collaborating with our partners to ensure road user behaviour that is risky and against the law is appropriately addressed (enforcement).

At the heart of our strategy, and underlying the Vision Zero philosophy, is the Safe System Approach – naming six components of road safety as outlined in Transportation Association of Canada’s Vision Zero documentation that work individually and together to reduce the occurrence of serious injuries and fatalities.

The six components of the Safe System Approach are as follows. Some of these components are the direct responsibility of the Municipality, while others require collaboration with other levels of government and external groups.

Safe Speeds:

Manage operating speeds to reduce the risk and severity of collisions.

Safe Road Users:

Road Safety is a shared responsibility between the agencies that design, build and maintain roads, and those that use the roads.

Safe Vehicles:

Regulate, design and maintain vehicles to minimize the risk and severity of collisions.

Safe Road Design:

Design, operate and maintain road infrastructure to reduce the risk of collision.

Post Crash Care:

Deliver fast and effective emergency response when collisions do occur, to save lives and improve recovery outcomes.

Safe Land Use Planning:

Create complete communities that offer a variety of safe, affordable, convenient, and accessible travel choices for all residents.

Ongoing safety initiatives

Learn more about our ongoing safety initiatives:

Safe practices on the road

Follow traffic regulations.
Be mindful of other road users.
Drivers must obey the speed limit.
Vehicle occupants should always wear a seat belt.
Avoid distractions. Whether you're walking, rolling, cycling, or driving, distractions put all road users at risk.
Driving requires your full attention. Always be extra alert when approaching a crosswalk.
Drivers must yield to pedestrians at intersections. Crosswalks exist on all legs of an intersection, whether marked or unmarked.
Never drive impaired. Always plan ahead. Have a designated driver, take public transportation or stay over. If you see an impaired driver, call 911.
Remain watchful of changing road and weather conditions.
You must stop whenever you approach a stopped school bus with its upper alternating red lights flashing, regardless of whether you are behind the bus or approaching it from the front. Be prepared to stop for a school bus at any time, not just within school hours.
Reduce your speed when entering a school zone. Follow the school zone speed limit anytime children are present, not just during school hours.
Slow down in construction zones and follow signs from the crew. Keep road crews safe by paying attention to sign flaggers and by keeping your distance from workers and equipment. Always be prepared to stop suddenly when driving through construction zones.
When cycling, consider wearing bright colors and using bike lights to be more easily visible to other road users. Motorists should always do a triple check for cyclists when turning, especially when turning right.
Keep an eye out for transit drivers signaling to merge back into traffic. Vehicles are required to yield to transit vehicles signaling to merge into traffic from a stopped, standing or parked position as long as it does not constitute an immediate hazard.

How we track and report

The Road Safety Dashboard shows some of the road safety features installed throughout the Municipality, as well as a summary of annual collision data from 2018 to present day. Collision details are also available on the Open Data Catalogue.

Reports

Road Safety Steering Committee Meeting Minutes