OTTAWA, Ont. — Transport Minister David Collenette has launched Road Safety Vision 2010, a long-term plan to reduce the number of road fatalities and serious injuries in Canada by 30 per cent.

“Road Safety Vision 2010 builds on a solid safety foundation,” Collenette said in an announcement at the Road Safety Forum taking place in Ottawa Friday. “Today’s event marks an important step forward in achieving Canada’s vision of having the safest roads in the world.”

The one-day forum brings stakeholders together to discuss achievable road safety targets for the next decade. These targets were developed by Transport Canada, through the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, with input from the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the Transportation Association of Canada.

The goal of Road Safety Vision 2010 is to improve upon this trend and to make Canada’s roads the safest in the world.

Its targets include boosting seat-belt use to 95 per cent from 90 per cent; lowering serious injuries and fatalities by 40 per cent; and reducing the incidents of young-driver injuries and deaths by 20 per cent.

Road Safety Vision 2001 was developed in 1996 to support the vision that Canada should have the safest roads in the world.

In October 2000, the Council of Ministers of Transport endorsed an extension of the vision, called Road Safety Vision 2010.

Since 1989, the number of licensed drivers in Canada has increased from approximately 17 to 21 million.

The number of registered vehicles has also increased from approximately 16 to 18 million. Despite these increases, fatalities and serious injuries have decreased over the same period.