Transport truck-related crashes at 10-year high in Ontario
Ontario Provincial Police responded to 9,110 transport truck-related crashes in 2022, marking the highest provincial total in more than a decade.
Although the majority of charges were issued to commercial drivers, four-wheeler drivers were also responsible for a number of the collisions.
Of the 2,858 OPP-laid charges in transport truck-involved collisions last year, 1,098 were issued to non-commercial (passenger vehicle) drivers, the police service said in a related press release. The balance were issued to commercial drivers.
The OPP, collaborating with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO), says it is ramping up enforcement and education around commercial motor vehicle safety, as part of a joint effort to address the upward trend in transport truck-involved collisions.
These incidents, which accounted for 12% of overall collisions last year, resulted in 71 fatalities, the majority of which were preventable, the OPP says. Improper lane changes, following too closely, and speed were the top primary causes in the collisions.
CVSA’s Operation Safe Driver Week
The news comes as the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) marks the beginning of Operation Safe Driver Week, a North American driver safety traffic enforcement initiative that runs July 9-15.
Officers, troopers and inspectors will focus on passenger and commercial vehicles alike.
Law enforcement personnel will be watching for individuals who are speeding, driving aggressively, ignoring roadway signs, using a handheld device, intoxicated, and driving distracted. Drivers engaging in such behaviors will be pulled over by law enforcement and given a warning or issued a ticket.
This year Operation Safe Driver Week will include a special focus on speeding because it continues to be a major factor in traffic deaths and injuries.
Speeding
Speeding/driving too fast accounted for 25.3% of all fatal roadway crashes in Canada in 2020, CVSA said in a news release. In the U.S., there were 11,258 fatal crashes in which at least one driver was speeding, accounting for 29% of all traffic fatalities. In Mexico, 16.4% of road crashes on the federal highway network were attributed to excessive speed.
The CVSA said the top driver-related factors in fatal crashes involving commercial motor vehicles were speeding, impairment, and distraction/inattention.
Have your say
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Simple bring up graduated licensing for trucks starting a D work your way up to a A. You have to be able to communicate in English and take all test in the English language , no interpreter!
If you have never driven a truck in North America you have to start off at the bottom. I
Please don’t think this is racism. but the correlation works 2015 we open immigration to the highest levels ever and indie we have this statistic. Sorry it’s not rocket science.
I would like to know the percentage of accidents with Drivers associated with Driver Inc.
I am betting that percentage is high versus legitimate company drivers!!!!!
Get rid of the ELDs your problem will be solved. Every driver is racing against the clock and running more tired. They have no parking to rest. When is the government going to open up there eyes and realize that we are all racing against the clock. If you want to stop in the afternoon and have a nap for four hours did you go down the road for six hours and you’re tired again you can’t stop for another two or three hour nap because you’ll lose your driving time this is ridiculous. It needs to be changed, that sleeper berth does not work for a drivers. Tell government changes the hours of running and sleeping on the ELD’s. That’s when the accidents will drop. And the transportation minister we have now needs to go. He does not understand the trucking industry whatsoever. Adios amigo.
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100% through since the start of eld I do more speeding than ever.
Of course you can what’s the difference than paperlog,the difference is with paper you can make it work.
Its like a race track even in truck stops
The more you regulate the worse it gets
How is this going to happen??
There is little or no police presence on the 400 series highways!!!
Add thirty or forty more cruisers and start writing tickets, PLEASE!!!!!
Help tame what has become the wild west out here!
People do very aggressive passes, use on ramps illegally to pass when traffic builds up, pass on the shoulder, and why… it is because they have zero fear of getting caught!!! Very simple!
I have been on these roads for 36 years as a professional driver, and have never seen such bad behavior!!
To expect the few cruisers you have on patrol to fix this huge problem is a pipe dream, and unfair to our police force!!
WE need help, and we need it soon!!!!
Maybe time to look at the clowns out on the roads, cars included.
Cars in excess of 100 miles an hour, motorcycles with hidden or no plates weaving in and out like a live video game.
We also need increased police presence. I hardly ever see a patrol car on the 401, especially through the GTA.
Get rid of the automatic transmission and collision mitigation systems also adaptive cruise control. Make drivers drive their trucks again and you will see accidents decline. I am a 33 year veteran driver with over 5 million kms . These systems are not ready and I guarantee that this is a huge part of the problem.
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Automatic trucks with self braking software is a huge problem wel said
Increased number of collisions.
It would be interesting to review the statistics of those involved.
Including:
Length of time licensed?
Training received and possibly grade?
What training companies?
What carrier involved.
Practical experience.
I would expect a direct connection with Driving Schools and Increased Immigration.
I have long proclaimed “Professional Operators of Heavy Trucks” needs to be a “Registered Trade”.
With training and experience over several months, not days or weeks.
Coupled with additional Certificates for various loads, weights, and types of equipment.
And yes, starting at the bottom, with supervision and review .
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Well said!
O.M.G. – A training program like other trades would end the growing amount of COMMERCIAL ACCIDENTS in Canada. Since the mid 80’s too many deaths on our highways,hopefully our Government will enforce a true training course as soon as possible!
As much as no one will admit it, those of us that have been trucking for many many years know the real reason for the problems on our roads and highways.
And my insurance agents will say the exact thing.
Just a question the commercial vehicles are speed limited how can speeding be the main cause for commercial vehicle accidents?
Just read an article saying accidents are down due to speed limited commercial vehicles now I’m confused.
I do think one main problem is inexperienced professional driver’s put under time sensitive loads with ELD restrictions and not able to complete the task safely
We are in an industry where pay is by the mile yet limited by time and speed
I wonder if pay was by the hr if most of the accidents now happening would disappear as no more pressure on the driver for time lines and we would get back to what experienced driver’s do like the load will get there when we safely get there
Thanks it’s just my thoughts
We need hourly pay with overtime after 9 hrs driving or 10 hours on duty and safe parking at all hospitals for sick truck drivers and allow all company driver 1 hour of P C at double time to find safe parking
We need a better plan of parking pay and treatment of drivers and require all foreign drivers to learn English or French before being allowed to drive by themselves. We need to make sure all Inc drivers or lease ops make a minimum of $30 per hour if they do not have their truck paid for or be paid on payroll and get paid sick days all truck drivers need safe parking if sick