The Road Safety Monitor is an annual public opinion survey by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) that takes the pulse of the nation on key road safety issues by means of a comprehensive telephone survey of a random, representative sample of Canadian drivers. The results from the third edition of the Road Safety Monitor are being released in a series of reports that cover several key issues. The present report focuses on commercial operator and vehicle safety. Results show that 37% of Canadians believe the number of large trucks on the road is a serious problem. 70% of Canadians believe that truck drivers who are tired by long hours of driving and trucks that do not meet legal maintenance standards are both serious problems. The truck safety issues of most concern to Canadians are: the use of drugs by truck drivers to help them stay awake; the ability of truck drivers to stay awake for longer periods of driving; and trucks not being maintained in a safe operating condition. Drivers in Quebec and the Atlantic region are more concerned about the safety risk posed by the number of large trucks on the road than drivers in either British Columbia or the Prairie region. Most Canadians are supportive of more stringent regulations governing the safety of commercial operators and vehicles: • 81% support a zero alcohol limit for commercial operators; • 77% support more frequent mechanical inspections for commercial vehicles; • 64% support random drug and alcohol testing for commercial operators; • 63% support re-testing of commercial operators every 5 years: and • 62% support the installation of event recorders in commercial vehicles to help determine the causes of collisions. Despite these concerns, 69% of Canadians believe commercial operators are highly skilled professionals. Twenty percent strongly agree with this. By contrast, only 6% of Canadians strongly disagree. (Author/publisher)
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