In time for the return of students to school, RSA Canada is promoting its driver education initiative to improve road safety.

The insurer’s TruceTO hub “contains a variety of tools, resources and tips on road safety – something that all road users can get behind and integrate into their day-to-day lives,” a release said. Resources available on the site include a back-to-school road safety infographic, a road safety quiz, the first episode of the website’s official podcast, an educational video on the evolution of Canadian streets, and links to other educational materials.

“As providers of auto insurance, RSA has a vested interest in road safety as a whole,” said RSA Canada senior vice-president of personal insurance Donna Ince. “By encouraging Canadians to look out for one another, be more mindful of their surroundings and educate themselves on the rules of the road, we hope to help reduce fatalities and increase the level of harmony on Canadian roads.”

The announcement comes as troubling collision and accident statistics come to light.

Citing data from the Toronto Police Service Public Service Data Portal, RSA Canada said that 36 pedestrians, 13 drivers and four cyclists were all killed in collisions with motor vehicles in 2017. For this year, more than 20 pedestrian and cyclist deaths have been recorded so far.

A survey commissioned by RSA Canada found that 50% of pedestrians do not always know when cyclists have the right of way, while 33% of cyclists have seen an unfamiliar road sign recently. The same survey found that 57% of cyclists and 44% of pedestrians want their cities to invest in driver education.