How congestion can increase the risk of a car accident Anyone who has driven on the Gardiner Expressway or through downtown Toronto during rush hour has noticed how bad traffic can get. But just how bad is it? According to a new study, Toronto ranks first for traffic congestion in Canada and is the 17th most congested city in the world. The average driver in the city wasted 63 hours stuck in traffic last year. The 2023 INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard notes that traffic congestion can be a sign of a strong economy. “The movement of people, goods and services creates demand for road travel, but ..read more

Warm spring weather in Toronto often signals the start of motorcycle season for many bikers in the GTA. That’s one reason May is designated Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, an annual educational event nicknamed “Riders For Life” and sponsored by the Motorcyclist Confederation of Canada. So, what can motorcyclists in Toronto do to stay safe on the road? Just how common are motorcycle accidents in Toronto and the rest of Ontario? And what are the common causes of motorcycle collisions in Toronto? Our motorcycle accident lawyers at Smitiuch Injury Law break down what you should know. How commo ..read more

Almost 60 percent of Ontario motorists use cell phones while driving. Distracted driving is a consistent problem on roads despite laws that have been put in place to ban it. Attentive driving laws have been in place across Canada since 2008 and have been updated over the years to increase penalties. Still, in Ontario, distracted driving deaths have doubled since 2000. People know taking their eyes off the road is hazardous, but many do it anyway. About 58 percent of Ontario drivers say they use mobile devices while driving, according to a recent CAA survey. Incidents of distracted driving ove ..read more

Why are head injuries so common in crashes? In Toronto, car accidents frequently lead to severe injuries. Among the most common and most severe are traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), often referred to simply as TBIs. But just how prevalent are crash-related brain injuries in Toronto? What types of TBIs do individuals typically sustain in car crashes? And why do car accidents result in so many brain injuries? Moreover, what legal options are available to those who have suffered brain injuries? Let the Toronto car accident lawyers at Smitiuch Injury Law shed light on these crucial questions. How ..read more

How many cyclists and pedestrians are actually being injured in Toronto? Initial data collected by officials in Toronto about the number of bicycle and pedestrian accidents fell far short of the actual number of accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists in the city, according to a more recent study conducted by researchers in Toronto. "One of the surprises in our study is that, both for hospitalizations and for emergency department visits, about 80 percent of the bicycle-related injuries were not reported to have involved motor vehicles," Alison Macpherson, a professor at the School of Kin ..read more

Driving impaired can result in serious and fatal car accidents It’s well-known that impaired driving is dangerous. Yet every year in the Greater Toronto Area, drivers get behind the wheel despite being impaired. Too often, they cause car accidents that leave people seriously injured. But a new survey suggests the problem of cannabis-impaired driving is getting worse. In the survey conducted by CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO), 38 percent of cannabis-impaired drivers in Ontario said they consumed edibles before driving. That’s a 12 percent increase from the year before. It’s also more than ..read more

Drunk driving is a deadly problem during the holiday season Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) recently launched its 36th annual Red Ribbon Campaign in Toronto in an effort to educate people about the dangers of drunk driving during the holiday season, which remains one of the leading causes of holiday car accidents in Toronto. “It (impaired driving) still remains a deadly problem,” Toronto Police Acting Staff Supt. Kelly Skinner said in an interview with CTV News. “As of October 23, the Toronto Police Service has received more than 6,000 calls for service for impaired driving which represe ..read more

Toronto city officials want to streamline the process of installing more speed bumps, traffic cameras, and other traffic calming measures designed to reduce the number of car accidents in the city, according to a recent CBC News story about the proposal. "We are definitely not doing enough to save lives on our streets," Toronto Ward 11 City Councilor Dianne Saxe, a member of the Infrastructure Committee, said in a recent interview with the CBC. "We have the tools, we're just not doing it." Proposed changes for speed bumps and traffic cameras Toronto city officials and its City Council are con ..read more

Traffic congestion is a major problem in Toronto, raising the potential for serious and fatal car accidents. As we wrote about last month, the traffic in Toronto is actually ranked among the worst worldwide, according to a study. To address the danger and frustration posed by regular traffic jams, the Toronto Board of Trade recently unveiled an $85 million plan that includes the installation of more smart signals and offers recommendations for improved traffic flow. Contributing factors to Toronto's backed-up traffic Traffic officials say that Toronto's slow-moving traffic woes stem from a su ..read more

Heavy traffic in Toronto is more than just a nuisance. Toronto was recently ranked the 13th worst city in the world for driving, according to a recent study cited in the National Post. A similar study released earlier this year found that the problem is getting even worse in Toronto when it comes to traffic congestion, which is often associated with serious car accidents. "The findings, which ranked Toronto as the third worst city for traffic in North America, behind only Chicago and Boston, were significantly higher than the previous year's results when Toronto was identified as the 22nd wor ..read more