L\u00e9vis, QC (July 29, 2026) \u2013 A new national survey from Desjardins Insurance, conducted among nearly 4,000 Canadians in 2026, reveals that road safety in Canada is being reshaped by a convergence of risks, as drivers navigate increasingly demanding conditions while under pressure. These insights point to opportunities to better understand risks and encourage safer driving behaviours.<\/p>\n
While distracted driving remains the most widely recognized issue, the findings show that the story is broader. Today\u2019s road conditions are defined by a combination of external distractions, high stress levels and frequent exposure to risky behaviour, all of which are influencing how Canadians experience the road.<\/p>\n
Six in ten Canadians (60%) rank distracted driving among the top risks, a position it continues to hold nationally. However, distraction itself has evolved. External factors, such as traffic, pedestrians and activity outside the vehicle, are now the leading source (35%), followed by cell-phone related distractions (32%), in-vehicle technology (26%) and everyday habits like eating or drinking (22%). This highlights the importance of maintaining focus and being mindful of both in-vehicle and external distractions.<\/p>\n
At the same time, Canadians are getting behind the wheel under strain. Nearly half (49%) say they frequently feel stressed or tired, pointing to the growing role that mental load plays in focus, reaction time and decision-making while driving. Planning ahead and taking breaks on longer drives are simple ways to help manage these pressures.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoad safety is about more than individual behaviour, it\u2019s shaped by the conditions drivers face every day,\u201d said Val\u00e9rie Lavoie, President and Chief Operating Officer, Desjardins General Insurance Group. \u201cCanadians are navigating distraction, stress and constant external demands all at once. As one of Canada\u2019s leading insurers, we see how these pressures impact safety. To make a real difference, we need to address this full reality, through stronger awareness, better education and actions that help reduce risk on our roads.\u201d<\/p>\n
The survey also highlights how visible risky behaviours remain across the country, reinforcing the complexity of the driving environment Canadians are navigating every day.<\/p>\n
Together, these findings point to a road safety landscape where risks are not isolated but overlapping. Distraction, stress and behaviour are interacting in ways that are making the driving environment more demanding for Canadians.<\/p>\n
As these pressures continue to build, improving road safety will depend on recognizing how Canadians actually experience the road today and ensuring drivers are supported with the tools, awareness and conditions needed to stay focused and make safer decisions.<\/p>\n
is the largest cooperative financial group in Canada and the eighth largest in the world, with assets of $524.3 billion as at March 31, 2026. Desjardins has been named one of the top employers in Canada by both Forbes<\/i> magazine and Mediacorp. It offers a full range of products and services through its extensive distribution network, its online platforms, and its subsidiaries across Canada. In addition to being ranked among the world\u2019s strongest banks according to The<\/i> Banker<\/i> magazine, Desjardins has one of the highest capital ratios and one of the highest credit ratings<\/a> in the industry. For more information, please visit www.desjardins.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n SOURCE: Desjardins Group<\/i><\/p>\n Tags: Desjardins<\/a>, driving habits<\/a>, driving safety<\/a>, survey<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" L\u00e9vis, QC (July 29, 2026) \u2013 A new national survey from Desjardins Insurance, conducted among nearly 4,000 Canadians in 2026, reveals that road safety in Canada is being reshaped by a convergence of risks, as drivers...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[1],"class_list":["post-25289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25289"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25289\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}