Most crashes involving people who bike, walk, or use mobility devices in Hamilton never get reported.
Not because they don’t matter, but because the system makes reporting hard, confusing, and car-first by design.
The result is simple and brutal:
Danger stays invisible.
Bad data drives bad decisions.
And people keep getting hurt.
What the research shows
Through our work with the McMaster Research Shop, we learned just how broken the system is:
- Nearly 70% of vulnerable road users do not know how to report a collision
- Only 29% of crashes are actually reported
- Reporting is limited to two centres on the edges of the city, with restricted hours and limited access
If it isn’t counted, it doesn’t get fixed.
That means dangerous streets stay dangerous, problem intersections stay unchanged, and the same mistakes get repeated. When decision-makers rely on incomplete data, people pay the price.
Why reporting matters
Collision data is what drives:
- Street redesign
- Bike lane improvements
- Resource allocation
- Accountability
Every report is proof that safer roads are needed. Every missing report is a problem the system pretends does not exist.
This is our final post in the Vulnerable Road Users Collision Research project, and the takeaway is clear:
Every report is a receipt. Safer roads aren’t a vibe, they’re a necessity.
Help make the invisible visible
If you want to expose what official statistics miss, use BikeMaps.org to report:
- Cycling collisions
- Near misses
- Hazards
- Bike thefts
For stolen bikes in Hamilton, also post in the Stolen Bikes Hamilton, Ontario Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/440453913463783
Because what stays invisible never gets fixed.
Data first. Excuses last.
Read the full report
You can access the complete research report here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11rCs92nvUXd8T6vuDkUROJA9dXIT4Q-M/view
If it doesn’t get counted, it doesn’t get fixed. And Hamilton can do better.
