A surprising new report has shifted the spotlight for hazardous winter driving in Ontario away from the province's busiest highway. According to data from fleet management company Samsara, the title of Ontario's most dangerous winter road belongs not to Highway 401, but to Erieau Road in the Chatham-Kent region.
The Top Winter Driving Hazard in Ontario
The analysis, which examined collision data from 2022 to 2025, pinpointed the two-lane Erieau Road along the Erieau Peninsula lakeshore as the province's most treacherous stretch. The combination of lake-effect snow and sharp shoreline curves creates particularly perilous conditions for drivers navigating this route into the village of Erieau.
This finding upends the common assumption that major multi-lane highways like the 401 pose the greatest risk during the winter months. While sections of the 401 did appear on the list, they ranked lower than this lesser-known rural road.
Ontario Roads Dominate National 'Hotspots' List
Samsara's report also compiled a nationwide list of the top ten winter driving hotspots, where Ontario roads featured prominently. Following Erieau Road in the top position, several other provincial highways were flagged for elevated risk.
Highway 17 through the Kenora–Dryden moose corridor ranked sixth nationally. Highway 11 in the Hearst–Kapuskasing area was seventh, and the Queen Elizabeth Way along the Burlington Skyway came in eighth.
Two sections of Highway 401 rounded out the national top ten. The complex interchange where Highways 401, 403, and 410 meet in Mississauga was ninth. The collector-express lane weave between Toronto Pearson Airport and Scarborough placed tenth.
Canada's Most Dangerous Winter Roads
Beyond Ontario, the report highlighted dangerous corridors across the country. Samsara's separate top ten list of most dangerous roads nationwide included several trans-provincial routes.
The Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16) spanning B.C., Alberta, and Saskatchewan was second. Alberta's Highway 2 was third, and New Brunswick's Highway of Heroes was fourth. Other notable entries included B.C.'s Timberland Road, the Trans-Canada Highway, Quebec's Autoroute Jean-Lesage (A-20), Ontario's Steeles Avenue East, and Alberta's Highway 43.
The national winter hotspots list further detailed specific high-risk segments, such as the Trans-Canada Highway through Rogers Pass and Yoho National Park in B.C., and the Banff–Lake Louise area on the Alberta-B.C. border.
The report serves as a critical reminder for all Canadian drivers to exercise extreme caution, prepare their vehicles for winter conditions, and adjust their driving behaviour on these identified routes, regardless of their size or reputation.
