{"id":761,"date":"2026-08-01T13:13:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T13:13:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldwithoutcars.com\/?p=761"},"modified":"2026-08-01T13:13:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T13:13:17","slug":"the-human-health-toll-of-cars-in-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldwithoutcars.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/01\/the-human-health-toll-of-cars-in-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"The human health toll of cars in Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

2,181 people have died tragically in car collisions every year on Canadian roads between 2003 and 2022. Six people every day. One every four hours. Every year 164,337 people are injured in car collisions. 11,574 are seriously injured. That’s 450 injuries every day and 32 with serious, potentially life-changing consequences1<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cars do more than kill and maim people in collisions. They cause diseases and lower the quality of life. A Health Canada study from 2022 estimates that 1,200 people died prematurely in 2015 due to traffic related air pollution2<\/a><\/sup>. That figure doesn’t capture the suffering of victims and loved ones leading up to the final moment, and the mourning afterward, and the many others who are suffering with sickness. The study states that “[t]he total annual monetary value [for car related air pollution] was estimated at $9.5 billion (CAD 2015), with $9 billion being associated with premature deaths.\u201d3<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another study, not specific to Canada, took measurements of airborne particulate matter inside car cabins4<\/a><\/sup>. Air filled with particulate matter from the exhaust pipes of surrounding cars is blown into the cabin of the car via the car’s ventilation system and becomes trapped, creating an atmosphere of highly concentrated particulate matter. The study found that the air quality inside cars is worse than it is outside. Cars poison the people they drive by and their occupants too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exhaust pipes aren’t the only direct source of car pollution. Tires and brake pads are made from synthetic materials that shred off during use, leaving behind microplastics and other harmful substances5<\/a><\/sup>. Cars produce harmful noise pollution that increases with speed. Car noise has been linked to stress, insomnia, cognitive decline, and cardiovascular diseases6<\/a><\/sup>. Car lights disrupts sleep when they shine directly into unshielded windows where people are trying to sleep. Light pollution has been linked to a whole host of health problems beginning with the disturbance of our Circadian Rhythm, which increases the risk of cancer, depression, insomnia, and obesity7<\/a><\/sup>. Drivers must consider the harm they produce all along their journey, but it’s the automotive corporations and regulators who need to be held accountable for profiting from cars. Cars are like cigarettes, and governments have laid the foundation for automotive dominance and continue to fund its maintenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The popularisation of cars has ushered in an era of physical inactivity. Winnipeg in particular was once known as a city of fast walkers8<\/a><\/sup>, today it’s a city of drivers. The people I’ve spoken with in Winnipeg don’t necessarily want to drive, but due to the great distances between places, and the ineffective public transit system that struggles within car-centric (sub)urban designs, they are left with no choice but to drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more time a person spends in their car, the more likely they become overweight and suffer a lower quality of life as a result9<\/a><\/sup>. Obesity increases the risk of \u201chigh blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, heart disease and stroke, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, lower back pain and other musculoskeletal disorders, and many types of cancer\u201d. It can also cause a decline in mental health, in the form of \u201clow self-esteem, depression and anxiety.”10<\/a><\/sup> In Canada, obesity is a serious problem that costs an estimated $5.9 billion of direct healthcare expenditures each year, and $21.7 billion of indirect costs11<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

81.5% of Canada’s 16.5 million commuters travelled by car in 2024. 89.5% drove alone. The average Canadian commute time is 26.4 minutes and the number of commuters travelling for more than an hour in one direction is increasing, as suburban areas expand. The average Canadian spends about an hour in the car going form home to work every day. Victoria and Halifax have the highest proportions of active commuters, 18.7% and 12.3% respectively12<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2024 cars directly contributed 81,768 kilotonnes of CO\u2082 equivalent13<\/a><\/sup> in Canada. It’s been roughly the same amount each year14<\/a><\/sup>. Cars produce indirect emissions as well. Oil extraction doesn’t occur for its own sake, but is a necessary part of producing fuel for cars. Oil extraction emissions should be seen as car related emissions. So should emissions from the construction of parking lots, highways, car bridges, tunnels, and other car related infrastructure, along with the manufacturing of cars, asphalt, road paint, et cetera, and the loss of natural carbon capture through the sealing of land for streets, highways, parking lots, car factories, and automotive retail shops. In addition to these ecological impacts, oil workers and those living near oil extraction sites have higher rates of cancer15<\/a><\/sup> and the same can be said about other extractive industries that mine for metals used in the manufacturing of cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The destabilisation of the climate is beginning to cause planetary chaos, which has far-reaching negative consequences for human health. Forest fires fill the air with smoke which damage our lungs, causing repository diseases and cancers. Freak floods destroy infrastructure and introduce parasites and other contaminates into drinking water. Extreme droughts and floods reduce the productivity of the land and trigger famines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The asphalt landscapes that enable car use, such as parking lots, streets, and highways, trap heat on hot days and can increase the local temperature upwards of 10\u00b0C16<\/a><\/sup>, making heat waves even more unbearable, especially for the elderly, people who are overweight, and the already sick. The ground sealing nature of asphalt increases the risk of flooding by reducing the capacity of the Earth’s surface to absorb rainwater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ending the use of cars in Canada would eliminate car related health problems that place such a heavy burden the public health system and ruin the lives of people. A well balanced diet is part of staying healthy, but it isn’t enough on its own. We need to be physically and mentally active on a daily basis, and the best way to be active is by including physical activity into the daily routine: stop driving and begin walking, biking, and\/or taking public transit. Catching a bus or rail involves walking or biking to the nearest transit stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking helps to develop muscle strength and cardiovascular endurance. Walkers acquire knowledge of their surrounding environments through the experience of it17<\/a><\/sup>, increasing cognitive activity and enriching daily life. Regular physical exercise has been linked to positive mental health outcomes, such as the prevention of Alzheimers disease18<\/a><\/sup> and countless other diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Sub)urban design plays a crucial role in shaping the effectiveness of public transportation routes and whether or not people will walk or bike, though it’s not a determining factor. The UK-based charity Possible<\/a> has done inspiring experimental research that suggests ordinary people will stop driving if they are challenged to do so and are supported during the transition19<\/a><\/sup>. In some cases, people choose to bike or walk despite the difficulty caused by poor design and absent supporting infrastructure20<\/a><\/sup>. If every person stops driving all at once, streets, roads, bridges, tunnels, and highways will be immediately transformed into bicycle and walking lanes. What is a bicycle lane or walking path but a space without cars?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the car era we will realise that too much land has been sealed beneath asphalt. With a little effort, this space can be transformed into vegetable gardens, parks, forests, bogs, and other natural landscapes to help feed society, restore wildlife habitat, and store carbon. We would be restoring the land to form. The sooner we can bring about the end of the car era, the less restorative work we will need to do in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cars are a significant source of death, disease, and other forms of human suffering. Lights and noise coming from cars are bad for our health, but they are also simply annoying. Navigating car dominated space by foot is frustrating and stressful too. Cars are ruining the world. We need a plan to phase them out. Such a plan must include restricting urban expansion, increasing urban density, improving walkability, and providing greater access to natural landscapes. These steps are part of creating a healthy and ecologically sustainable future for human society.<\/p>\n\n\n

  1. Canadian Motor Vehicle Traffic Collision Statistics 2022<\/em><\/a> on the Statistics Canada website and Canada’s Motor Vehicle Causalities Dashboard<\/a>. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  2. Health Impacts Of Traffic-Related Air Pollution In Canada<\/em><\/a> by Health Canada. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  3. Health Impacts Of Traffic-Related Air Pollution In Canada<\/em><\/a> by Health Canada. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  4. Air pollution more harmful to children in cars than outside, warns top scientist<\/a> by Damian Carrington (The Guardian). \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  5. Review of Health Effects of Automotive Brake and Tyre Wear Particles<\/a> by Athanasia Christou, Barouch Giechaskiel, Ulf Olofsson, and Theodoros Grigoratos.
    Brake pad dust can be more toxic than exhaust emissions, study says<\/a> by Rachel Keenan.
    Health impact of tyre particles causing \u2018increasing concern\u2019, say scientists<\/a> by Damian Carrington. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  6. Noise causes cardiovascular disease: it\u2019s time to act<\/a> by Thomas M\u00fcnzel, Andreas Daiber, Nicole Engelmann, Martin R\u00f6\u00f6sli, Marin Kuntic, and Jamie L. Banks
    For a Toronto specific study see     Association Between Road Traffic Noise and Incidence of Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension in Toronto, Canada: A Population\u2010Based Cohort Stud<\/a>y Saeha Shin, Li Bai, Tor H Oiamo, Richard T Burnett, Scott Weichenthal, Michael Jerrett, Jeffrey C Kwong, Mark S Goldberg, Ray Copes, Alexander Kopp, Hong Chen.
    \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  7. Light pollution and its impact on human health and wildlife<\/a> by Ulrika Candolin &
    Tommaso Filippini.     \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  8. Backtracks: The Story of Winnipeg’s Street Cars<\/em><\/a> a documentary film by Jeff McKay & Beth Azore.<\/a> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  9. Driving towards obesity: A systematized literature review on the association between motor vehicle travel time and distance and weight status in adults<\/a> by Gavin R. McCormack & Jagdeep S. Virk. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  10. Obesity in Canada: Causes, Consequences and the Way Forward<\/a> by the Canadian Medical Association. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  11. Modeling the cost of inaction in treating obesity in Canada<\/a> by Fang Chen, Tanvi Sapra, Zachary Natale, Timothy M. Dall, Ian Patton & Sanjeev Sockalingam. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  12. More Canadians commuting in 2024<\/a>, StatsCan report. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  13. Since CO\u2082 isn’t the only greenhouse gas emissions, CO\u2082 equivalent is used to denote all types of greenhouse gases based on their greenhouse strength, CO\u2082 being the baseline. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  14. Early Estimate of National Emissions<\/a> by 440 Megatonnes, see table. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  15. Cancer incidence and mortality among petroleum industry workers and residents living in oil producing communities: a systematic review and meta-analysis<\/a> by The International Agency For Cancer Research, a branch of the World Health Organisation. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  16. I took part in a research project during my masters that compared the heat difference in a lower income neighbourhood that had no greenery and plenty of parking space with a well-to-do villa neighbourhood surrounded in greenspace and water in Groningen Netherlands. We used heat maps to make the comparison and found that the poorer neighbourhood would be 10\u00b0C hotter than the villa neighbourhood during a heat wave. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  17. See A Philosophy of Walking<\/em> by Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Gros for an in depth look at the connection between thinking and walking. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  18. CTV News report: Walking to reduce cognitive decline<\/a>. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  19. For more information see Going Car Free Case Studies<\/a>. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  20. Living car-free by choice in a sprawling city: Desirable and \u2026 possible?<\/a> by Hayley Paijmans & Dorina Pojani. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    2,181 people have died tragically in car collisions every year on Canadian roads between 2003 and 2022. Six people every…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":771,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":"[{\"content\":\"Canadian Motor Vehicle Traffic Collision Statistics 2022<\/em><\/a> on the Statistics Canada website and Canada's Motor Vehicle Causalities Dashboard<\/a>.\",\"id\":\"39ebd518-971f-457b-96d1-99d5d460d57b\"},{\"content\":\"Health Impacts Of Traffic-Related Air Pollution In Canada<\/em><\/a> by Health Canada.\",\"id\":\"371d9d1b-228a-4cd6-a603-6d222649dc9b\"},{\"content\":\"Health Impacts Of Traffic-Related Air Pollution In Canada<\/em><\/a> by Health Canada.\",\"id\":\"30f7f5c8-5c0f-4556-b5c3-c14071a34cf0\"},{\"content\":\"Air pollution more harmful to children in cars than outside, warns top scientist<\/a> by Damian Carrington (The Guardian).\",\"id\":\"45d27c1c-bf45-4951-9559-629f680c3cbd\"},{\"content\":\"Review of Health Effects of Automotive Brake and Tyre Wear Particles<\/a> by Athanasia Christou, Barouch Giechaskiel, Ulf Olofsson, and Theodoros Grigoratos.
    Brake pad dust can be more toxic than exhaust emissions, study says<\/a> by Rachel Keenan.
    Health impact of tyre particles causing \u2018increasing concern\u2019, say scientists<\/a> by Damian Carrington.\",\"id\":\"2397e034-9829-4562-91d0-9044f1dc88e0\"},{\"content\":\"Noise causes cardiovascular disease: it\u2019s time to act<\/a> by Thomas M\u00fcnzel, Andreas Daiber, Nicole Engelmann, Martin R\u00f6\u00f6sli, Marin Kuntic, and Jamie L. Banks
    For a Toronto specific study see     Association Between Road Traffic Noise and Incidence of Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension in Toronto, Canada: A Population\u2010Based Cohort Stud<\/a>y Saeha Shin, Li Bai, Tor H Oiamo, Richard T Burnett, Scott Weichenthal, Michael Jerrett, Jeffrey C Kwong, Mark S Goldberg, Ray Copes, Alexander Kopp, Hong Chen.
    \",\"id\":\"23b57055-d8f5-4c0b-8e78-673082e5797b\"},{\"content\":\"    Light pollution and its impact on human health and wildlife<\/a> by Ulrika Candolin &
    Tommaso Filippini.\",\"id\":\"10409f8d-659d-4232-94ab-33cf0788d16c\"},{\"content\":\"    Backtracks: The Story of Winnipeg's Street Cars<\/em><\/a> a documentary film by Jeff McKay & Beth Azore.<\/a>\",\"id\":\"d57e54ce-4242-4243-82dc-cb66a8915e01\"},{\"content\":\"Driving towards obesity: A systematized literature review on the association between motor vehicle travel time and distance and weight status in adults<\/a> by Gavin R. McCormack & Jagdeep S. Virk.\",\"id\":\"4b53c009-f80f-4905-94b1-2ecef1cbd82e\"},{\"content\":\"Obesity in Canada: Causes, Consequences and the Way Forward<\/a> by the Canadian Medical Association.\",\"id\":\"f0f209ae-9fd7-44bf-8642-86b232d4df95\"},{\"content\":\"Modeling the cost of inaction in treating obesity in Canada<\/a> by Fang Chen, Tanvi Sapra, Zachary Natale, Timothy M. Dall, Ian Patton & Sanjeev Sockalingam.\",\"id\":\"676a30bd-7810-455a-a462-cbe72afe6750\"},{\"content\":\"More Canadians commuting in 2024<\/a>, StatsCan report.\",\"id\":\"8fa67f97-0af3-4ea7-82d7-4ac4a8e28d87\"},{\"content\":\"Since CO\u2082 isn't the only greenhouse gas emissions, CO\u2082 equivalent is used to denote all types of greenhouse gases based on their greenhouse strength, CO\u2082 being the baseline. \",\"id\":\"6cf1bcbd-750e-49db-b0fe-bbd7676be023\"},{\"content\":\"Early Estimate of National Emissions<\/a> by 440 Megatonnes, see table.\",\"id\":\"24bca9eb-3c53-467f-9335-d3dbee4942a6\"},{\"content\":\"Cancer incidence and mortality among petroleum industry workers and residents living in oil producing communities: a systematic review and meta-analysis<\/a> by The International Agency For Cancer Research, a branch of the World Health Organisation. \",\"id\":\"d330130f-e45f-4cbf-9deb-b1d67515e90e\"},{\"content\":\"I took part in a research project during my masters that compared the heat difference in a lower income neighbourhood that had no greenery and plenty of parking space with a well-to-do villa neighbourhood surrounded in greenspace and water in Groningen Netherlands. We used heat maps to make the comparison and found that the poorer neighbourhood would be 10\u00b0C hotter than the villa neighbourhood during a heat wave. \",\"id\":\"5aa4c715-782c-4606-9ff0-fb70249a5e31\"},{\"content\":\"See A Philosophy of Walking<\/em> by Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Gros for an in depth look at the connection between thinking and walking.\",\"id\":\"46c15e0a-4f4c-4881-a00a-18ae79123d99\"},{\"content\":\"CTV News report: Walking to reduce cognitive decline<\/a>.\",\"id\":\"a389c016-6b34-40bd-a4dd-ca6db20c9598\"},{\"content\":\"For more information see Going Car Free Case Studies<\/a>.\",\"id\":\"eed06cd2-bbb6-491b-a577-a1952f09e360\"},{\"content\":\"Living car-free by choice in a sprawling city: Desirable and \u2026 possible?<\/a> by Hayley Paijmans & Dorina Pojani.\",\"id\":\"735cca19-fd86-4b46-809e-29a289c76e12\"}]"},"categories":[18],"tags":[20,22],"class_list":["post-761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-anti-car","tag-healthy-society"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":18,"label":"Article"}],"post_tag":[{"value":20,"label":"anti-car"},{"value":22,"label":"healthy society"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/worldwithoutcars.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Grant-Avenue-Winnipeg-Manitoba-1024x1024.jpg",1024,1024,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Graham Janz","author_link":"https:\/\/worldwithoutcars.com\/index.php\/author\/graham\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":18,"name":"Article","slug":"article","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":18,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":18,"category_count":3,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Article","category_nicename":"article","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":20,"name":"anti-car","slug":"anti-car","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":20,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":22,"name":"healthy society","slug":"healthy-society","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":22,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldwithoutcars.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldwithoutcars.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldwithoutcars.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldwithoutcars.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldwithoutcars.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=761"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/worldwithoutcars.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":772,"href":"https:\/\/worldwithoutcars.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761\/revisions\/772"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldwithoutcars.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldwithoutcars.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldwithoutcars.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldwithoutcars.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}