SMATS Traffic Solutions and the Traffic Injury Research Foundation partner to advance road safety by providing guidance for speed limit reductions under Transport Canada’s Enhanced Road Safety Program

Ottawa, Ontario – January 21, 2025 – SMATS Traffic Solutions (SMATS) and the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) are pleased to announce their proposed project has been selected for funding under Transport Canada’s Enhanced Road Safety Transfer Payment Program (ERSTPP). This project aims to provide critical insights and tools to guide municipalities across Canada in effectively reducing speed limits and enhancing road safety in support of Vision Zero goals.

Road safety remains a top priority for Canadian cities, with excessive speed continuing to be a leading cause of collisions, fatalities, and injuries. By evaluating the effectiveness of speed limit reductions and developing evidence-based guidance for cities, this collaborative initiative aims to create safer communities for all road users.

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Evaluating the impact of speed limit reductions to support Vision Zero

SMATS and TIRF are leading a statistical study to evaluate the impact of posted speed limit reductions on metrics like vehicle speeds, harsh braking incidents, and harsh acceleration events. Key outcomes include guidance on when reduced speed limits alone are effective and conditions under which additional measures, such as traffic calming, are needed. Other outcomes include statistical models to predict future collisions based on real-time connected vehicle data.

“At SMATS, we are dedicated to leveraging technology and data to address complex road safety challenges,” says Amir Ghods, CEO of SMATS Traffic Solutions. “This partnership with TIRF allows us to develop innovative tools and frameworks that empower municipalities to make informed decisions about road safety strategies.”

“Speeding is a significant and preventable risk to all road users,” added Robyn Robertson, President & CEO of TIRF. “By combining TIRF’s expertise in behavioural road safety research, program and policy development, evaluation and knowledge transfer with SMATS’ innovative data-driven solutions, this project provides Canadian cities with the evidence-based guidance needed to implement effective speed management strategies.”

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About the project

SMATS Traffic Solutions brings its advanced capabilities in collecting and analyzing network-wide speed and driver behaviour data from connected vehicles and devices to this initiative. The robust dataset enables TIRF’s experts to develop precise analysis of speed compliance and other safety-related metrics, and to develop evidence-based guidance for cities.

Through the project, municipalities will gain access to:

• Guidance Documents: Tailored recommendations to help cities identify roadways suitable for speed limit reductions and necessary additional measures to improve speed compliance.
• Scalable Solutions: A comprehensive framework applicable to diverse urban contexts across Canada.
• Proactive Insights: Predictive crash models leveraging vehicle speed and behaviour data to enable proactive interventions.

The outcomes will help Canadian municipalities achieve a stronger impact with their speed limit reduction strategies, contributing to the national Vision Zero initiative.

The net benefits of this project to municipalities include:

• Enhancing road safety for all users, including vulnerable populations.
• Avoiding time delays associated with traditional crash data-based assessments of countermeasures.
• Gaining actionable insights to support data-driven policy and planning decisions, ensuring impactful and sustainable safety interventions.

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About SMATS Traffic Solutions

SMATS Traffic Solutions is a leading provider of big data solutions for transportation planning, engineering and operations. By providing data access and analytics from connected vehicles and devices, SMATS enables cities and organizations to improve road safety and optimize traffic flow. Learn more at www.smatstraffic.com

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About Traffic Injury Research Foundation

The vision of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) is to ensure people using roads make it home safely every day by eliminating road deaths, serious injuries and their social costs. TIRF’s mission is to be the knowledge source for safe road users and a world leader in research, program and policy development, evaluation, and knowledge transfer. TIRF is a registered charity and depends on grants, awards, and donations to provide services for the public. Visit www.tirf.ca or find all TIRF websites and social media at linktr.ee/tirfcanada.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Lucy Lai

Director of Product Marketing, SMATS Traffic Solutions
lucy.lai@smats.ca; 416-510-3218

Karen Bowman

Director, Communications & Programs, Traffic Injury Research Foundation

karenb@tirf.ca; 613-238-5235 (Office) / 250-797-0833 (Direct)