NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE
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ORILLIA – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), in collaboration with the Ministry of Transportation (MTO), are ramping up enforcement and education around commercial motor vehicle safety, as part of a joint effort to address an upward trend in transport truck-involved collisions.
In 2022, the OPP responded to 9,110 collisions that involved a transport truck, marking the highest number of transport truck-related crashes on OPP-patrolled roads in more than 10 years. The incidents, which accounted for 12 per cent of overall collisions last year, resulted in 71 fatalities, the majority of which were preventable.
Improper lane changes, following too closely and speed were the top primary causes in the collisions - and not just on the part of the commercial drivers.
Of the 2,858 OPP-laid charges in transport truck-involved collisions last year, 1,098 of them were issued to non-commercial (passenger vehicle) drivers, with the balance (1,760) of the charges issued to commercial drivers.
The data serves as a reminder to all drivers of the importance of sharing the road safely when travelling in and around large commercial vehicles.
These collisions not only result in significant fatalities, injuries and property damage every year, they often cause lengthy traffic delays and disruptions in the movement of goods that support our economy.
During Operation Safe Driver, the OPP, MTO and other road safety partners will conduct targeted enforcement aimed at all risky behaviours on the part of commercial and non-commercial drivers.
They are counting on everyone to do their part to help reduce the number of collisions and fatalities by driving safely and complying with all traffic laws every day, throughout the year.
Commercial drivers are reminded that 24/7 compliance with commercial vehicle safety requirements such as inspections, hours of service, secured cargo and the movement of dangerous goods is critical to keeping our roads safe.
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