In 2001, tractor-trailer units, including double-trailer combinations and bob-tailing tractors, represented only 1.8% of all vehicles involved in all collisions on the province's roadways. And trucks accounted for only 6 1/2% of all the vehicles involved in all fatal collisions that year.
The actual number of fatalities in all truck collisions, including straight trucks, decreased by over 4.5% in 2001 to 143 and went down over 16% from their peak of five years before.
The report also found that drinking and driving was a factor among only 2.3% of the truck drivers involved in fatal collisions, compared to over 16% for the entire driving population.
"The trucking industry shares its workplace with the public. It's a responsibility we as an industry take very seriously," commented David Bradley, president of the Ontario Trucking Assn. "The numbers show once again that the Ontario trucking industry uses safe equipment that is driven professionally and responsibly by the finest truck driving professionals in North America."