Fatalities of 63 & 881

Canada's Highway 63 and 881 are two of the deadliest routes in and out of Alberta's oil sands, and have seen hundreds of vehicle­-related injuries and dozens of fatalities in the last few years. Most of these accidents were caused by bad weather conditions, wildlife and speeding.

In order to raise awareness about dangerous driving and help reduce the number of fatalities, we designed and developed an interactive visualization of all fatalities from 2003 to 2014. The final result is an educative and emotional interactive experience that summarizes the dangers of highways 63 & 881 while also pinpointing the sites where victims have lost their lives.

The interactive visualization takes the user on a virtual trip along these treacherous stretches of road, using the up and down keys or the mouse to guide the car along each highway. Along the way, the interactive pinpoints sites of past fatalities and offers life­saving tips to reduce the risk of crashing, such as putting away your cell phone, turning off cruise control when driving in snowy conditions, and watching out for moose and other wildlife. The experience is also available for tablets and smartphones.

Fatalities of 63 & 881 is a timely reminder that accidents do happen, and aims to encourage safer driving so that less Canadians lose their lives on the road.