Police report 38 per cent increase in fatal transport collisions

NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE
************************
As the Ontario Provincial Police gears up for its Operation Safe Trucking campaign, it is dismayed at fatal transport truck collisions being up in all but two of the OPP's six regions, with its North East Region marking the highest increase this year at 800%. 

The OPP has responded to 33 transport truck-related collisions so far this year, marking a 38% increase when compared to this time last year. Forty-one people have died in the crashes.    

Year-to-date (Jan. 1 - July 9, 2018) fatal transport truck crashes in the OPP's six regions with 2017 comparisons: 

"The OPP has never been more committed to its Commercial Motor Vehicle Collision Mitigation Strategy. We continue to work diligently with our road safety and trucking industry partners toward our goal of reducing the number of transport truck collisions on our roads. Despite our efforts, it takes a firm commitment to safe driving on the part of all transport truck drivers and other motorists in order to see a significant reduction in these types of collisions."

- Commissioner J.V.N. (Vince) Hawkes, Ontario Provincial Police   

During Operation Safe Trucking, the OPP will be well-resourced to address speeding and other forms of aggressive driving, distracted/inattentive driving, driver impairment, hours of service and equipment violations, and lack of occupant restraint.

Quick facts:

OPP-patrolled roads in 2018:

• The OPP has investigated more than 3,600 transport truck-related collisions, which represent 11% of the total number of collisions (34,461).  
• The OPP has dedicated close to 4,300 hours to transport truck inspections and taken 658 vehicles out of service.
• The OPP has laid more than 1,615 speeding charges, 354 distracted driving charges and 963 defective equipment-related charges against transport truck drivers.

************************