Distracted driving remains the top concern for Canadian drivers for the third consecutive year, according to Desjardins Insurance’s 2025 Road Safety Survey.
Sixty per cent of approximately 4,000 Canadian drivers surveyed for the latest version of Desjardin’s annual survey pointed to distracted driving as the top risk factor. Other top risk factors included alcohol-impaired driving at a close 59% and aggressive driving at 46%.
Desjardins’ most recent annual survey, released Wednesday, asks Canadians to share their opinions about road behaviours and habits.
Drilling down the Number 1 risk factor of distracted driving, the largest perceived distractions include things like what’s happening outside the car (34%), cellphone-related distractions (31%), drivers using a media console or interface (24%), and eating and drinking (22%).
When asked specifically about aggressive driving, only 6% of those polled consider themselves to be an aggressive driver, Desjardins notes in a press release. At the same time, 71% report regularly seeing aggressive driving behaviours when they are behind the wheel.
“Distracted driving and aggressive driving put drivers and other road users at extreme risk,” says Valérie Lavoie, president and chief operating officer of Desjardins General Insurance Group. “The insight we get and the behaviours and perceptions we learn about in the survey are key to having better-informed drivers on the road and safer roads in our communities.”
The survey finds 37% of Canadians polled are trying to be less distracted behind the wheel, “precisely because of the risk of a collision. And while fines and rewards are becoming less effective at countering distracted driving, Canadian drivers are increasingly open to using apps that analyze their behaviour on the road.”
The proportion of drivers with safety technologies in their vehicles also continues to see significant growth, Desjardins reports. Over the past five to ten years, car manufacturers have rolled out innovations that have impacted the number of road-related incidents. Today, nearly half of drivers have vehicle safety technologies in their cars — things like rear-view cameras or indicator lights that alert drivers to a vehicle coming up to pass, or sitting in their blind spot.
According to the survey, 47% of drivers say technology is increasingly helping them prevent collisions (compared to 43% in 2023 and 38% in 2021). Younger drivers are more likely to depend on these technologies to help avoid a collision (47% of 16- to 34-year-olds, compared to 39% of 55- to 74-year-olds).
The survey also found 11% of drivers who have experienced mental distraction on the road have been in a collision. This proportion is nearly double what was recorded in 2022 (6%). The most common situations for mental distractions are during monotonous or boring drives, such as driving on a long road or driving the same route daily.
Feature image by iStock.com/urbazon
