Richmond has been the butt of many jokes when it comes to driving. But how justified is the derision? Do we really have more bad drivers here than anywhere else?
Let’s look at the numbers.
Crash data from ICBC shows Richmond does have a slightly higher number of crashes per capita compared to the rest of the Lower Mainland, but it’s lower than Vancouver and about the same as Burnaby.
Moreover, crash rates may have more to do with demographics than driving ability.
The latest available information from ICBC indicates that, in 2015, there were 17,400 crashes in Richmond. Based on Richmond’s projected population of 207,773 from BC Stats, this translates to an 8.4 per cent crash rate per capita in 2015. The Lower Mainland crash rate for the same period was eight per cent, meaning Richmond had five per cent more crashes than the rest of the Lower Mainland for 2015.
However, taking a five-year average between 2011 to 2015, Richmond’s crash rate was 7.5 per cent. The Lower Mainland’s crash rate was 7.3 per cent; this means Richmond only had three per cent less crashes over the five-year average.
How does this compare to other cities in the Lower Mainland?
Vancouver is actually worse than Richmond, with a 7.8 per cent crash rate over a five-year average, which translates to four per cent more crashes. Burnaby has a slightly better rate (seven per cent), while Surrey and New Westminster have significantly lower rates (5.8 and 6.5 per cent). So, Surrey and New Westminster had 29 and 15 per cent less crashes respectively than Richmond.
While this data may sound conclusive, there are many factors that contribute to how a crash rate percentage is generated. The number of crashes reported by ICBC per city only relate to the location of the crash.
For example, in the tragic case of the 33-year-old cyclist hit and killed last November, the cyclist was from Vancouver, while the driver was from Burnaby. The crash is still reported as a Richmond crash.
The age demographic of a city can also change the crash rate. For example, Surrey has a high percentage of young families. The children would not be drivers, and therefore would not contribute towards the number of crashes, but they would contribute towards the population count. This, in turn, decreases the crash rate significantly.
Finally, Richmond and Vancouver have higher household incomes than Surrey and New Westminster. Higher incomes correlates with higher vehicle ownership, which also increases the number of crashes in a city.
Does Richmond have bad drivers?
For sure, but when you parse the numbers and account for demographics, it doesn’t have many more than the rest of the Lower Mainland.
