OTTAWA — The impact of "human factors" on road safety is the focus of a three-year study being prepared by Transport Canada.

Pierre Thiffault, a senior research analyst with Transport Canada and chair of CCMTA’s Human Factors in Motor Carrier Safety Task Force, will author the study.

According to the most recent CCMTA newsletter, a draft report suggests actions that might improve safety by putting a greater emphasis on human factors as key causes of roadway collisions.

Thiffault reportedly believes that driver error, such as is where the most progress can be achieved in making Canada’s roads safer.

"Mr. Thiffault advocates a purely scientific, risk-based and theory-driven approach, devoid of policy considerations, to reduce the death and injury toll on Canada’s roads," the newsletter states.

CCMTA says that studies show that human factors and driver errors are responsible for over 85 percent of crashes in Canada.

Investigating determinants of the "wrong-headed decision to keep driving while drowsy" will be one aspect of the study.

The report’s findings will be applied to developing countermeasures applicable to the general driving population as well.

And that’s a good thing, considering that car drivers are overwhelmingly at fault in truck-car collisions and trucker fatigue, in particular, is a factor in less than 2 percent of truck-involved traffic fatalities).

Preliminary findings will be discussed at the CCMTA annual meeting in May.