Almost 20% of fatal collisions in Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) jurisdictions involved transport trucks this year, causing 31 deaths.

According to an OPP news release, 86% of the crashes were linked to poor behaviors on the part of non-commercial drivers. Commercial drivers were at-fault in the remaining 14% of the collisions. 

The data paints a grim picture of how commercial and non-commercial drivers have been sharing the road.   

Speeding, following too closely and improper passing are among the unsafe actions behind transport truck-involved collisions every year.  

“Aggressive and careless drivers have no place on our roads, especially when sharing the road involves large commercial vehicles,” said Thomas Carrique, OPP commissioner. “Tragically, many families again this year are paying a devastating price – the senseless, preventable loss of their loved ones – because of drivers who make a conscious decision to not share our roads safely.”

Transport truck-involved collisions account for approximately 11% of overall motor vehicle collisions investigated by the OPP this year. In 2023, 8,622 of the 77,076 collisions investigated by the OPP involved commercial vehicles.  

The OPP and the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) are joining police services throughout North America for Operation Safe Driver Week that runs July 7-13. During the traffic enforcement and education initiative, officers will be on the lookout for commercial and non-commercial vehicle drivers engaging in risky behaviors.