Transport trucks are the safest vehicles on the road, says OTA

by Truck News

TORONTO, Ont. — After the Ontario Provincial Police’s (OPP) press conference yesterday, where it announced three truck drivers have been charged in three separate fatal collisions on Ontario highways, the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) assures the public the trucking industry’s commitment to road safety is at an all-time high.

The most recent province-wide truck related safety stats reflect the trucking industry’s strong commitment to road safety:

  • Only 1.8 percent of large trucks involved in collisions between 2010-2014 had a defect that could have contributed to a crash.
  • Between 2010-2014, persons killed in truck crashes represented 18.8% of fatalities in the province; however only 28.3% of those collisions police determined the truck driver was not driving properly (71.7% of the collisions were the result of an error by the other vehicle driver).
  • Between 1995 and 2014 there has been a 66% decline in fatality rate from large truck collisions, while at the same time large truck vehicle registrations have increased by 75%.

“Our industry is committed to safety. The stats reflect that as do the actions of the vast majority of the professional operators on Ontario’s highways,” said OTA president Stephen Laskowski. “It is OTA’s goal – a goal shared by the Ontario Provincial Police and the Ministry of Transportation – to enforce the full extent of the law for the minority of carriers and drivers who do not share this commitment to safety.”

OTA is part of an upcoming working group with MTO and the OPP to develop strategies to reduce distracted and aggressive driving.

“OTA and its member carriers are dedicated to developing improved road safety policy strategies with our partners by better utilizing technology, education, improved roadway design and strategic enforcement,” added Laskowski.


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  • We have to get serious about large trucks and distracted driving just like no insurance fine this for a trucker while on the phone $5,000 no exceptions and no bargaining once in court that’s the minimum fine.

  • Naturally the OTA will claim that trucks in Ontario are safe. I remember once in 1990 when I was in Dartmouth NS I was advised by the dispatcher that the truck I was driving was due for its Annual inspection, I stopped at the garage outside Montreal and a mechanic put new sticker on the windshield gave me the certificate and off I went and drove out west. No inspection was made. The owner of the company was a former official of OTA.
    Being a experienced driver I knew that the truck was in top shape so an inspection would be a waste of time.
    The Company always maintained their trucks in top shape but their are others that don’t.