Fatal trucking collisions in BC often single-vehicle incidents

Compared to other regions, fatal collisions involving heavy trucks in British Columbia were more likely to involve truck drivers who are 41 and older or truck drivers who are speeding, according to a report by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation.
The report, Best Practices for Truck Safety, identified the principal causes of casualty collisions involving heavy trucks (gross vehicle weight of 4,536 kg and greater) in B.C.
Researchers compared the characteristics and causes of fatal and injury collisions involving heavy trucks to those in other regions in Canada.
The study found that fatal collisions in BC were more likely to involve truck drivers in single- vehicle collisions, who were run-off-the-road or head-on collision configurations, in winter months or in poor weather conditions, on curved roads with a gradient or on poor road surface conditions.
Compared to other regions, at-fault analyses indicated that the truck drivers in B.C. were less likely to be at-fault for casualty collisions than the other driver involved, particularly for injury collisions.
But, using charges laid by the police in B.C. as a result of the collision, it was found that truck drivers were slightly more likely to have been charged than the drivers of the other vehicles involved, particularly in the case fatal crashes.
To view a copy of the report log on to: Best Practices for Truck Safety