Operation Corridor Launches Today – One in Five Crashes involves Commercial Vehicles

Transport truck-related collisions continue to take a significant toll on human life on Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)-patrolled roads, with one in five road crashes involving large commercial vehicles.

Today, the OPP launches the annual Operation Corridor campaign to shed more light on the prevalence of transport trucks and their impact on other road users. This year’s Operation Corridor campaign runs from June 15 to June 16, 2017.

Between 2102-16 there were 1,342 fatal motor vehicle collisions (OPP-patrolled roads), 20% or 266 involved transport trucks, with 330 people dying. According to OPP data, 44 of the crash victims were drivers of the transport trucks, compared to 286 victims who were in cars and other smaller vehicles.

Damaged axles, blown tires or detached wheels, faulty brakes, defective hitches and unsecured loads are just some of the many factors in truck-related crashes. Between July 2014 and June 2017, 344 collisions involved defective transport trucks, 6 (six) of which were fatal and 37 of which resulted in injuries. Even worse, unsecured loads or truck equipment flying into the path of other vehicles produced tragic consequences.

Serious crashes often result in hours-long highway closures and traffic delays as police carry out collision investigations and clear these large vehicles from the road.

– OPP Chief Superintendent Chuck Cox, Divisional Commander, Highway Safety Division explains “A lot can go wrong when large commercial transport trucks are not driven safely or have unsecure loads and defective equipment. Our data shows that the outcome for other vehicle occupants involved in transport truck-related collisions is often fatal and catastrophic. For this reason, Operation Corridor is an important campaign to ensure transport truck drivers are safely operating and diligently maintaining their rigs at all times”.