Car Crash Causes in Alberta

Most crashes are not bad luck. They follow patterns. Alberta publishes crash numbers from police reports every year, and the City of Edmonton studies its own streets. The same few driver mistakes show up again and again. Here is what the official numbers say, and how a new driver can avoid each one.

What Alberta's crash numbers show

In 2023, 297 people died in traffic collisions in Alberta. Another 2,669 people had major injuries. Police reported 119,070 collisions that year.

The City of Edmonton looked at five years of crash data (2015 to 2019) on its own streets. It found that 80% of fatal and serious injury crashes were the result of driver mistakes. The good news is that you can learn to avoid mistakes.

Age matters too. In Alberta's 2023 data, male drivers aged 18 to 19 had the highest rate of fatal or major injury collisions per 1,000 licensed drivers.

1. Running off the road

Alberta's 2023 report lists the driver errors police recorded in fatal or major injury collisions. The most common one was running off the road, at 43.9% of those drivers.

The Alberta Driver's Guide warns about curves and tiredness. On a curve, your car wants to keep going straight. The guide says:

• Slow down before the curve, not in it.
• Look well ahead and around the curve. This helps you steer and hold your speed.
• Stay centred in your lane.

The guide also says fatigue can lead to driving off the road, into another lane or into oncoming traffic. If you feel tired, stop and rest. Our post on how to stay alert driving long distances in Alberta has more tips.

If your wheels drop off the pavement, do not jerk the wheel back. The Driver's Guide says to hold the wheel firmly and take your foot off the gas. Try not to brake. If you must, brake gently. Check for traffic, then steer back onto the road slowly.

2. Following too closely

The City of Edmonton lists following too closely as one of the five main causes of its most severe crashes. When you are close to the car ahead, you have less time to react if it stops suddenly.

The Driver's Guide says to stay at least two seconds behind the vehicle ahead in normal conditions. Here is how to check:

• Watch the car ahead pass a fixed point, like a shadow or a road marking.
• Count "one-thousand-and-one, one-thousand-and-two."
• If you reach the point before you finish counting, you are too close. Slow down and count again.

Leave more space when conditions are poor. When you stop behind a car, leave enough room to pull into another lane without backing up. If someone tailgates you, the guide says to slow down a little, when it is safe, so they can pass.

3. Left turns across oncoming traffic

The Driver's Guide puts it plainly: "Poor judgement of time and space when turning left is a leading cause of collisions." Edmonton also lists turning left across the path of others as one of its five main crash causes.

A safer left turn looks like this:

• Get into your turning lane at least 15 metres before the intersection.
• If you wait inside the intersection, keep your front wheels pointed straight. If someone hits you from behind, you will not be pushed into oncoming traffic.
• Turn only when you have enough time and space.
• Check the crosswalk of the road you are turning onto.

That last step is easy to miss. Edmonton found that drivers turning left often focus on oncoming cars and not on the people in the crosswalk to their left. In Edmonton, 74% of intersection crashes involving someone walking or using a mobility aid happened when that person had the right of way.

4. Red lights and not yielding

Running red lights and not yielding to people who have the right of way are also on Edmonton's list of five. Across Alberta in 2023, 29.4% of fatal or major injury collisions were intersection related.

Two habits help here. First, treat a yellow light as a signal to stop. The Driver's Guide says you must stop before the stop line, unless you are too close to stop safely. Second, watch for a "stale" green light. That is a light that has been green for a while and will turn yellow soon. The guide suggests checking the pedestrian signal. If it shows "Don't Walk," be ready to stop.

5. Drifting over the centre line

In 2023, 9.2% of the drivers with a recorded error in Alberta's fatal or major injury crashes were left of centre. They crossed into the lane for oncoming traffic.

Keep to the right of the yellow line, including when you finish a turn. The Driver's Guide says that if you must turn sharply to avoid something, stay on your side of the yellow line if you can. Never pass on a curve on a highway with one lane each way. It is unsafe and illegal.

Speed, phones, alcohol and seat belts

The City of Edmonton notes that crash reports do not always capture speed, distraction or impairment. It still calls them important causes of crashes.

• Speed. In 2023, 24.5% of drivers in fatal collisions in Alberta were going at an unsafe speed. The Driver's Guide says a speed limit is the maximum for ideal conditions, and any speed that is unsafe for the conditions is illegal. Most residential and downtown streets in Edmonton have a 40 km/h default limit. The City says a person walking who is hit at 50 km/h has a 20% chance of survival. Slowing to 40 km/h doubles that chance.
• Phones. The penalty for distracted driving in Alberta is a $390 fine and 3 demerit points. If you need to call or text, stop in a safe and legal place first.
• Alcohol and drugs. In 2023, 7.3% of drivers in fatal collisions in Alberta were impaired. If you hold a Class 7 or Class 5-GDL licence, you must have a zero alcohol and drug level when you drive.
• Seat belts. Alberta law says every driver and passenger must be properly secured. A belt lowers your chance of serious injury in a crash. In 2023, 62 people who died in Alberta collisions were not properly buckled in.

Most serious crashes happen on dry roads

Winter needs care. But in 2023, 75.3% of fatal or major injury collisions in Alberta happened on dry roads. Slush, snow or ice was on the road in 11.9% of them.

Timing matters too. The afternoon rush, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:59 p.m., had the largest share of collisions, at 30.1%. Friday was the most collision-prone day of the week. So stay alert on a sunny Friday drive home, not just in a snowstorm.

Learn these habits early

The Driver's Guide says you can learn more about proactive driving and avoiding a collision by taking an approved driver education course. At Arrow Driving School, our certified instructors teach defensive driving techniques as part of every Standard Course and More Road Time package. For more on this, read Defensive Driving Techniques Every Driver Should Know in 2026.

Already licensed? Our Defensive Driving Course (DDC) covers hazard recognition, following distance and intersection safety. It is $170 + GST. Call us at (780) 721-8282 to book.