OTTAWA, Ont. — Transport Canada published statistics today that show road safety is continuing to improve.

The Canadian Motor Vehicle Traffic Collision Statistics: 2008 revealed there were 12% fewer deaths on Canadian roads in 2008 than in 2007, reaching the lowest death toll in nearly 60 years.

Canada is also on pace to achieve its goal of reducing fatalities by 30% from a baseline period average of 1996 to 2001 to the average from 1998 to 2010.

“Our government is committed to improving road safety and we have introduced important measures to reach that goal,” said Chuck Strahl, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. “The decline in deaths from road collisions is very encouraging, but the number of people affected is still too high. Everyone has a role to play for improving road safety. Canadians can take simple actions and decisions to make our roads safer.”

In 2008, there were 2,419 road user fatalities, down from 2,761 the previous year. Fifty-four per cent of fatalities were motor vehicle drivers, 20% were passengers and 12% were pedestrians.

You can find the full report here.