Commercial vehicle safety is the focus of Augusts’ traffic safety blitz in Saskatchewan.
During the month, police across the province will not only be on the lookout for commercial vehicles that are not in compliance with safety requirements, they will also be looking for commercial drivers showing unsafe driving behaviors.
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This will also extend to all other drivers sharing the road with the commercial trucks.
According to Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) statistics, in the majority of collisions involving a commercial vehicle, it is the driver of the other vehicle who was responsible for the crash.
“Regardless of who is responsible, in a collision with a big truck, the occupants of a passenger vehicle are more likely to be seriously injured or killed,” said Earl Cameron, the executive vice-president of SGIs Auto Fund.
“A fully-loaded truck can weigh up to 50 times more than a car, so other drivers need to be aware. The consequences of failing to safely share the road can be catastrophic.”
SGI officials said that on average, 15 per cent of traffic fatalities in the province involve a large commercial truck and that in 87 per of those crashes, the action taken by the other driver was a major contributing factor in the collision.
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In 2014, there were 21 people killed and 373 injured in 1,568 collisions involving commercial vehicles, which more often than not happen in the large blind spots of commercial trucks.
There are tips to keep in mind when sharing the road with commercial trucks:
- avoid the no-zone – the areas directly in front, behind and beside a truck. If the truck’s mirrors aren’t visible, then driver likely can’t see you either;
- allow extra time and space when passing;
- never cut in front of trucks; their large size means they take longer to stop;
- avoid tailgating by maintaining a safe following distance behind big trucks;
- Be patient and give trucks space; they require more room to perform certain manoeuvres; and
- Use caution when crossing an intersection in front of an oncoming truck; is easy to misjudge their speed due to their size.
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