Tomorrow Transport Canada will launch its new road safety plan for Canada at the annual meeting of the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators.
There will be no trucking safety initiatives. The Canadian Trucking Alliance reported in February a big safety plan but a source says the 281-page good, but flawed, report remains under wraps. In 2007, the CCMTA's Road Safety Vision mid-term review slammed the group responsible for truck safety saying, "the CCMTA Standing Committee on Compliance and Regulatory Affairs (CRA) needs to accept accountability" (page 134).
No accountability here.
The data lag issue identified ten years ago at a top priority will not be addressed. During the last road safety plan the data lag got worse.
The most recent official statistics for Canada are for 2008.
Most recent Ontario statistics are 2007.
No urgency here.
National "Safety" Code Standard 9
Four years after the 13-hour day, 77 hour week truck driving limits were implemented there is no information about the impact of the regulations. The hours are much longer than US hours. Trucking safety is the only road safety measure where the US outperforms Canada. A 2005 report by a J. Goss associate remains the best "background document" on NSC 9 also known as the "hours of service" regulations.
No urgency, no accountability here.
As previously reported: Transport Canada exits road safety
"On Jan. 26 the Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety announced the approval of a new five-year Road Safety Strategy to make Canada's roads the safest in the world. It is to be branded "Rethink Road Safety" and launched May 15-19 in Victoria. The new plan is not national. There are no hard targets. The chronic two-year lag in reporting the death toll is not addressed. The strategy signals Transport Canada's exit from the road safety (trucking excepted) stage.
The Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators/Transport Canada new road safety initiative will be unveiled at a news conference:
Monday, May 16, 11:45 - 12:30
Harbour Front Delta Ocean Pointe, Victoria, BC
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