TORONTO, Ont. — The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) says the public is firmly behind its proposal that would see the mandatory use of speed limiters on all trucks operating in the province.

A poll, conducted by IntelliPulse, found that 71 per cent of respondents are in favour of the proposal, the OTA says. The association also says the poll found 79 per cent of the Ontario public feels that highway safety would be improved if the policy limiting all trucks to 105 km/h were to become law.

The poll surveyed 1,001 Ontarians between Jan. 31 and Feb. 02, 2006. IntelliPulse says this sample size yields results that are accurate to within +/- 3.2 per cent, 19 out of 20 times.

“While the majority of trucking companies and truck drivers are dedicated professionals who take their responsibility to share the road in a safe manner seriously, there is still a small segment of the industry for which voluntary compliance goes unheeded,” said OTA president David Bradley. “This poll confirms our belief that the Ontario public wants the Provincial Government to support OTA’s call to activate speed limiters.”

He added: “The provincial government has been studying the safety and environmental advantages of speed limiters for a couple of months now and we hope that this confirmation of public support for the idea will help the Minister and the Premier make up their mind to act now.”