Traffic Injury Research Foundation

What Traffic Injury Research Foundation does

Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) is a Canadian charitable road safety research institute established in January 1964 and headquartered at 171 Nepean Street, Ottawa. The organization studies unsafe road-user behaviours and related risks across alcohol-impaired driving, distracted driving, drug-impaired driving, speeding, and fatigue, producing research that informs legislation, policy, enforcement, education, and training across public and private sectors. Its core data asset is a National Fatality Database tracking Canadian road crash fatalities since 2000, supplemented by the annual Road Safety Monitor public opinion poll. TIRF operates with 11-50 employees, an affiliated US non-profit (TIRF USA, Inc., established 2014), and a French-language counterpart (Fondation de recherche sur les blessures de la route / FRBR).

TIRF's product portfolio is organized as a set of branded educational programs and online resource centres rather than a unified software platform. Core offerings include Drop It And Drive (DIAD, a youth/workplace distracted-driving program), Sober Smart Driving (alcohol-impaired driving education), Action2Zero (a community road safety learning centre with self-assessment and planning modules), the Impaired Driving Coalition of Canada (IDCC, a coalition of 21+ organizations), and supporting resource centres covering drug-impaired driving, young and new drivers, graduated driver licensing, wildlife roadsharing, vehicle safety features, and alcohol interlock programs. Knowledge transfer is delivered via microsites, webinars, downloadable fact sheets, infographics, PSAs, and in-person workshops.

The business model is donation- and grant-funded rather than commercial. Revenue streams include individual and corporate charitable donations (structured into Bronze through Diamond donor tiers from under $5,000 to $25,000+ annually), project grants and contracts from government agencies, insurance companies, and alcohol-industry sponsors (notably Diageo, Beer Canada, Desjardins, State Farm), and freemium educational resources (most outputs are free; paid engagements include workplace safety seminars and youth presentations through DIAD). Customers and beneficiaries span municipalities, police services, government ministries, road safety NGOs, schools, workplaces, Indigenous communities, and individual donors, with no disclosed equity ownership, fundraising rounds, or revenue figures.

Name

Traffic Injury Research Foundation

Legal name

Traffic Injury Research Foundation

Website

https://tirf.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) is a Canadian charitable road safety research institute founded in 1964 that studies impaired, distracted, and risky driving behaviours to produce evidence-based research, educational programs, and community planning tools for governments, police, municipalities, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Road Safety Research & Education

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Road Safety Audits, Engineering & Data Analytics Services (RSA, Blackspot Analysis, Vision Zero Programs) (TLAJAGAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Traffic Enforcement & Road Safety (Highway Patrol, DUI, Collision Investigation) (BPAIAGAJ)

Keywords

• Road safety research
• Impaired driving prevention
• Distracted driving education
• Community road safety planning
• Traffic fatality analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: TIRF is a registered Canadian charity (established January 1964) that depends on charitable donations from individuals, companies, corporations, associations, and government departments to fund research, educational programs, and public awareness efforts. Donor tiers range from Bronze ($1-$4,999) to Diamond ($25,000+), with voting rights and various privileges at each level.
2. Project Grants and Contracts: TIRF receives project-specific funding through grants and contracts from government agencies, corporations, and foundations. Examples include Diageo North America funding for the Impaired Driving Coalition of Canada, Beer Canada and Desjardins sponsorship for the Road Safety Monitor.
3. Educational Programs and Resources: TIRF develops and distributes free educational materials, fact sheets, infographics, blogs, vodcasts, posters, and PSAs. While core resources are free, programs like Drop It And Drive offer workplace safety seminars and youth presentations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

TIRF is a charitable road safety research institute that produces evidence-based research, tracks road crash fatalities through its National Fatality Database, runs the annual Road Safety Monitor public opinion poll, and develops branded educational programs and online resource centers (Drop It And Drive, Sober Smart Driving, Action2Zero, Drug-Impaired Driving Learning Centre, Young and New Driver Resource Centre, Brain on Board, Alcohol Interlock Curriculum, GDL Framework Safety Center). Its Knowledge Transfer methodology converts research findings into practical tools, fact sheets, infographics, presentations, and community road safety planning modules for governments, police services, schools, workplaces, and road safety organizations across Canada and the U.S.

Product overview

Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) is a charitable road safety research institute that operates as a multi-product educational organization rather than a unified software platform. Its portfolio consists of distinct branded programs: Drop It And Drive® (DIAD) focuses on distracted driving prevention; Sober Smart Driving addresses alcohol-impaired driving education; Action2Zero provides a community road safety learning centre with online assessment tools; and the Impaired Driving Coalition of Canada (IDCC) coordinates a coalition of 21+ organizations. Supporting these core offerings are specialized resource centres including the Drug-Impaired Driving Learning Centre, Wildlife Roadsharing Resource Centre, Young and New Driver Resource Centre, Brain on Board, Alcohol Interlock Curriculum, and GDL Framework Safety Center. TIRF also produces research publications including the annual Road Safety Monitor and maintains a National Fatality Database. The organization works with governments, communities, industries, and road safety organizations to influence legislation, programs, policies, enforcement, health, education, and training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Drop It And Drive® (DIAD): A TIRF education program focused on preventing distraction-related road user fatalities and injuries.
• Action2Zero
• Road Safety Monitor
• Impaired Driving Coalition of Canada (IDCC)

Products and services

• Drop It And Drive® (DIAD) Award-winning distracted driving education program for youth, schools, and workplaces across Canada and the U.S., offering virtual workplace safety seminars and youth presentations.
• Sober Smart Driving Educational program sharing knowledge about alcohol, its effects on driving skills, and impaired driving prevention, including fact sheets, posters, PSAs, and resources on drinking, the impaired driving system, and penalties.
• Action2Zero Community Road Safety Learning Centre Free online community road safety planning platform with modules including Fundamentals of Community Road Safety, Guiding Approaches, Safety Assessment Tool, Partners Plans & Committees, Road Safety Engineering, and Monitoring & Evaluation for municipalities and communities.
• Impaired Driving Coalition of Canada (IDCC) Coalition of 21+ organizations working collaboratively to tackle education, technology, and data action items to prevent impaired driving in Canada.
• Drug-Impaired Driving Learning Centre Fully bilingual web-based educational resource containing fact sheets on the drugged driving problem, characteristics of drivers, effects of drugs on driving, legislation and penalties, and tools and technologies.
• Wildlife Roadsharing Resource Centre Free access to downloadable fact sheets, educational flashcards, and practical strategies addressing myths about wildlife-vehicle collisions, including mitigation measures and prevention strategies.
• Young and New Driver Resource Centre Resources covering young driver crash research, prevention strategies, and Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program requirements, including free PowerPoint presentations and fact sheets on fatigue, distraction, speeding, alcohol and drug impairment, brain development, and parental involvement.
• Brain on Board Educational resource explaining the functioning of active and passive vehicle safety features and how driver behaviors affect their effectiveness, including free posters, PSAs, flashcards and fact sheets about vehicle safety features.
• Alcohol Interlock Curriculum for Practitioners Training tool enabling criminal justice, health, and transportation professionals to educate colleagues about alcohol ignition interlocks, providing instructional and train-the-trainer materials on research, technology, implementation, legal concerns, and vendor/service provider information.
• GDL Framework Safety Center Resource containing latest research and free tools to help states and provinces identify gaps in young driver safety strategies and implement improvements related to graduated driver licensing, driver education, license testing, and in-vehicle monitoring technologies.
• Road Safety Monitor Annual public opinion poll combining nationally representative survey data with National Fatality Database analysis to examine trends in road safety behaviors, attitudes toward risk, and enforcement efforts in Canada.
• National Fatality Database Comprehensive database tracking road fatalities in Canada, providing data for research analysis on speeding, distraction, impairment, and other road safety issues, tracking trends since 2000.
• Community-Based Toolkit for Road Safety Campaigns Free user-friendly toolkit guiding community efforts in developing effective road safety campaigns targeted to local audiences, with issue-specific fact sheets on campaign effectiveness, stakeholder engagement, pedestrian safety, alcohol-impaired driving, young drivers, messaging, branding, social media, and evaluation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25,000+ high school students reached through Drop It And Drive presentations in Ottawa
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• MADD CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Impaired Driving Coalition of Canada (IDCC). Collaborates on holiday ad campaigns for Sober Smart Driving (2024 and 2025). MADD Canada CEO Steve Sullivan provides quotes supporting TIRF research findings.
• Saskatchewan Government InsurancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Impaired Driving Coalition of Canada (IDCC). Contributes expertise to impaired driving prevention initiatives and National Action Plan implementation.
• Ontario Provincial PolicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Impaired Driving Coalition of Canada (IDCC). Provides enforcement expertise and contributes to impaired driving prevention strategies.
• Toronto Police ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Impaired Driving Coalition of Canada (IDCC). Contributes law enforcement perspective to impaired driving research and programs.
• Ottawa Police ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Impaired Driving Coalition of Canada (IDCC). Works with TIRF on the Safer Roads Ottawa program and Fatal Collision Review Committee.
• Canadian Automobile AssociationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Impaired Driving Coalition of Canada (IDCC). Represents driver interests and contributes to road safety advocacy.
• Manitoba Public InsurancesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Impaired Driving Coalition of Canada (IDCC). Provides insurance and road safety expertise.
• Ford CanadasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Impaired Driving Coalition of Canada (IDCC). Contributes automotive industry perspective to road safety initiatives.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety: The US counterpart to TIRF, providing independent traffic safety research with a focus on driver behavior, crash causation, and data-driven safety analysis. Closely comparable as a non-profit charitable research institute producing longitudinal data and public education.
• Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS): US non-profit funded by auto insurers that conducts crash test evaluations and highway safety research. Directly comparable in mission and revenue model (insurer-funded research institute), with overlap in impaired driving and crash causation research.
• Canadian Automobile Association (CAA): National membership organization advocating for drivers and conducting road safety research and education. Existing IDCC partner with overlapping driver education and public policy influence in Canada.
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada: Canadian victim-advocacy non-profit focused on impaired driving prevention. Existing IDCC coalition partner; overlaps significantly with TIRF's impaired driving programs, Sober Smart Driving, and public education initiatives.

Regional players

• Transportation Association of Canada (TAC): Canadian association providing technical road safety and infrastructure guidance to public and private sector stakeholders. Comparable in producing road safety guidelines and serving Canadian road authorities.
• Centre for Applied Sciences in Road Safety (CASR, Quebec): Quebec-based applied research center focused on road safety. Comparable as a regional French-language research organization addressing similar topics as TIRF/FRBR in Quebec.
• Road Safety Foundation (UK): UK-based charitable foundation focused on road safety research and engineering. Comparable as a charitable research institute working on road safety audits and data analytics in a different geography.
• Australian Road Research Board (ARRB): Australia's national road research body providing road safety engineering, infrastructure, and behavioral research. Comparable in scope and methodologies but serving the Australian market.

Broad incumbents

• Parachute Canada: National charitable organization dedicated to injury prevention across all causes, including road safety. Comparable as a Canadian non-profit addressing road injuries within a broader injury-prevention mandate.

Others

• Transport Canada / Road Safety Division: Federal department responsible for transportation policy in Canada. Closely related as the government policy counterpart that TIRF supports with research and data, and overlapping on road safety strategy and regulation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/TIRFCanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/traffic-injury-research-foundation-tirf
• Instagraminstagram.com/tirfcanada_diad
• Xx.com/tirfcanada
• Facebookfacebook.com/tirfcanada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Traffic Injury Research Foundation