Mr. Speaker, this is National Safe Driving Week.
Ten years ago, vehicle collisions killed 4,364 Canadians and injured another 259,200. It was estimated then that approximately 43 per cent of driver fatalities involved the use of alcohol.
By 1994, even with the doubling of vehicles on the road, vehicle collision deaths had fallen by 25 per cent to 3,260 and the number of injured by 5 per cent to 245,000. However, of those collisions, 44 per cent of driver fatalities involved the use of alcohol.
The conclusion is obvious. We have made great strides in reducing the number of Canadians killed and injured on our roads, but impaired driving continues to demand our attention. That is why the theme of this year's national safe driving week is "The Hidden Face of Impaired Driving". Canadians are still having accidents that could have been prevented by not mixing drinking and driving.