As Operation Safe Driver week gets underway, an Ontario Provincial Police media release shows a sharp increase in the number of commercial motor vehicle collisions.
Last year, the OPP responded to 8,432 collisions involving commercial motor vehicles like transport trucks. 96 people died and 1,078 of the crashes resulted in injuries.
By comparison, there were 7,719 CMV-involved crashes in 2018. Fifty-four of the incidents resulted in the deaths of 62 people and injuries were sustained in 1,143 of the crashes.
While Operation Safe Driver focuses on all driving behaviours that negatively impact on CMV safety, this year's campaign will emphasize speeding. In 2019, 1,249 of the 8,432 CMV collisions on OPP-patrolled roads were linked to speeding, with 11 of the incidents resulting in fatalities and 246 of them causing injuries.
"Our investigations reveal that speed, improper lane changes, following too closely, driver inattention, and losing control were the top contributing factors in last year's commercial motor vehicle collisions. With commercial and passenger vehicle drivers linked to these and other poor behaviours every year, all drivers have a role to play in keeping our roadways safe," said Chief Superintendent Rohan Thompson, Commander, OPP Highway Safety Division.
Operation Safe Driver is led by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), with enforcement and education initiatives being held across Canada, the United States and Mexico. The goal of the campaign is to enhance traffic safety among commercial and non-commercial vehicle drivers.
In a CMV collision, passenger vehicle occupants are at far greater risk of being killed and injured than the CMV driver.
