OPP: Fatal collisions involving transports up 40 per cent over last year

Ahead of Operation Safe Driver, a national campaign founded by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are releasing startling findings in statistics regarding collisions involving transport trucks in the just-over six months so far in 2022.

In a media release dated Thursday, Jul. 7, 2022, the OPP cited “careless and aggressive driving” as the cause or contributing factor in the majority of the 4,274 collisions involving large commercial vehicles so far in 2022.

According to the OPP, these collisions accounted for 22 per cent of the fatal roadway collisions investigated by their officers. This marks a 40 per cent increase in collisions involving transport trucks over this time last year, the OPP said.

Of those collisions, 29 were fatal and resulted in the deaths of 40 people, though the OPP noted that at-fault drivers in those incidents involved both passenger vehicle drivers and transport drivers.

The provincial police service detailed that 3,311 of the crashes involved multiple vehicles, and injuries were reported in 503 of the collisions.

“The data is the latest reminder of the significant toll large transport truck-involved collisions have in terms of lives lost, serious injuries, and disruptions in traffic and the movement of goods that are characteristic of these types of crashes on Ontario highways and roads,” the OPP stated.

Operation Safe Driver takes place from Sunday, Jul. 10 to Saturday, Jul. 16, 2022. In support of the campaign, the OPP and the Ministry of Transportation will “ramp up enforcement and education around risky driving in and around transport trucks,” police relayed.

“Among the dangerous behaviours they will target are speeding, improper lane change and following too closely – the top three causes or contributing factors in transport truck crashes this year,” the OPP said.

“The OPP reminds drivers that collisions, as well as charges associated with the driving behaviours that cause them, can easily be avoided by complying with all traffic laws and acknowledging that all drivers and passengers have the right to be safe on our roads.”