The Danger of Accidents Involving Transports
Transport trucks can be very dangerous on the road due to their size in comparison to other motor vehicles. Last year there were 6,140 truck crashes in Ontario, including 69 fatalities, leading to the need for an accident lawyer for truck collisions. Transport trucks can cause catastrophic damages to people, other cars, and roadways. Currently, Canada has the 4th highest rate of fatalities on roadways in the world. 20% of fatalities occur from transport trucks in Canada, while two thirds of fatalities occur in urban areas.
The most common transport truck tragedies that lead to needing an accident lawyer for truck collisions are recognition and decision errors on the part of the truck driver. Recognition errors include not paying attention and fatigue on the roadways due to many factors, such as unrealistic deadlines on the part of the trucking companies. Decision errors often involve inexperienced truck drivers, which is why it is essential for truck schools to enforce intensive training and education for their students. Presently, training is not required to drive a transport truck; licensing is the only requirement. However, many European countries have enforced training and Canada would do well to follow suit.
30% of accidents involving transports are due to fatigue while driving. Several initiatives to help truck drivers with this issue have been launched in Canada in recent years. Maximum driving hours have been set by Transport Canada at a 13 hour maximum driving limit (within a 24 hour period). Electronic recorders are monitoring hours on the road in trucks, and data must be submitted to safety regulators to ensure standards are being followed.
Examples of Accidents involving Transports
There have been several accidents involving transports in Ontario. In March 2015, a transport truck was exiting Highway 404 and lost control, falling into Highway 401 westbound. The truck hit two other vehicles, and everyone went to the hospital with injuries causing the need for an accident lawyer for truck collisions. The truck fell into the 401 and shut down the entire west side of the highway for several hours. The 21 year old driver from Brampton was charged with careless driving because of the accident. With better training standards for truck drivers, this accident could have been avoided.
Operation Corridor
Operation Corridor was launched in 2012, an initiative on behalf of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to increase safe driving practices among transport truck drivers. This initiative causes an inspection blitz across the province for two days in June, where every truck is inspected for safety practices and protocol. The OPP began this exercise with the hope of increasing the safety of trucks that may end up needing an accident lawyer for truck collisions. Operation Corridor was readily accepted by Ontarian residents and has been running successfully for three years.
Sources
http://www.trucknews.com/health-safety/opp-mto-kick-off-operation-corridor-inspection-blitz/1003066223/
http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/truck-driver-charged-with-careless-driving-in-dramatic-hwy-401-rollover-1.2294731
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/tp-tp15145-1201.htm#s310