Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have released statistics that show a grim picture of how commercial and non-commercial drivers have been sharing the road.
Data shows almost 20 per cent of fatal collisions in OPP jurisdictions involved transport trucks this year, and 31 people have died in road incidents.
According to the OPP, 86 per cent of the crashes were linked to poor behaviours on the part of non-commercial drivers. Commercial drivers were at-fault in the remaining 14 per cent of the collisions.
Police point to speeding, following too closely and improper passing as some of the unsafe actions that contribute to transport truck-involved collisions every year.
In 2023, in West Region alone, there were 20 fatal collisions directly related to Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMV) with 91 fatalities provincially.
In 2023, Grey Bruce led West Region with the greatest number of charges involving CMVs with 21 Provincial Offences Act charges. Grey Bruce also placed 5 CMVs out of service including a CMV impound for Stunt Driving. In 2023, 8,622 of the 77,076 collisions investigated by the OPP involved commercial vehicles.
The OPP and its partner, the Ministry of Transportation (MTO), are joining police services throughout North America for Operation Safe Driver Week which continues until July 14, 2024.
During the traffic enforcement and education initiative, officers will be on the lookout for commercial and non-commercial vehicle drivers engaging in risky behaviours. The OPP and MTO will also ensure commercial drivers are keeping their trucks, equipment, loads and records up to the standards required by law, which also contribute to the safe movement of commercial vehicles on our roads.
"Aggressive and careless drivers have no place on our roads, especially when sharing the road involves large commercial vehicles," said Thomas Carrique, Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner. "Tragically, many families again this year are paying a devastating price - the senseless, preventable loss of their loved ones - because of drivers who make a conscious decision to not share our roads safely."
