Canada's watered down road safety agenda


Canada's road safety plan was watered down
last year. It no longer covers big trucks. 
The Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators is an extra-parliamentary body that co-ordinates road safety policies. Last year the federal government more or less got out of the road safety business leaving the CCMTA with fewer resources and even less prestige.

The key evidence for this assertion is the weakness of the new master plan dubbed Road Safety Strategy 2015. http://ccmta.ca/crss-2015/

Sources suggest the safety-side of the CCMTA  and Transport Canada's road safety branch were torpedoed by a trucking industry lobby unhappy with the idea of following a proactive plan to reduce deaths and injuries involving commercial vehicles.  

They note a very good study on trucking safety called the Human Factors report is under wraps and that Road Safety Strategy 2015 does not address safer operations for commercial vehicles. 

The Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators does and will continue to do very good work.

But the safety-side of the CCMTA is now figuring out how to cut itself while providing more value to its boss, the Council of Deputies, another extra-parliamentary body. The safety-side, the Standing Committee of Road Safety and Research policy is working on  2-3 year business plan to bring to its annual meeting in Winnipeg in May.

There is not much information available about the trucking-side of the CCMTA which is called Compliance and Regulator Affairs. CRA is responsible for trucking safety. It writes the National Safety Code.

Road safety calendar:
March 1, 2012 CAA and TIRF, Distracted Driving Conference, Toronto http://www.caa.ca/publicAffairs/public-affairs-distracteddriving-e.cfm

April 2 OCCID, arrive alive DRIVE SOBER General Meeting, http://www.arrivealive.org/upcoming/index.html

April 19 to 22, OCCID, Canadian Youth Against Impaired Driving Conference, Edmonton http://www.arrivealive.org/upcoming/index.html

May 6-9 CCMTA Annual Meeting Delta Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB http://ccmta.ca/english/pdf/ccmta_annual_program_en.pdf

May 10 to 13 - OCCID, Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving Conference, Oakville http://www.arrivealive.org/upcoming/index.html

May 15 to 21 - TC, National Road Safety Week Canada


June 10 to 13, CARSP and IBC, Canadian Multidisciplinary Road Safety Conference, Banff, AB http://www.carsp.ca/cmrsc.htm

August 19 – 22, 2012 - 107th Annual Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) Conference in Sydney, Nova Scotia http://cacpconference.ca/

October 5 - 8 - Not confirmed, CACP Operation Impact

November 18 - UN, International Day of Remembrance of Road Crash Victims http://www.arrivealive.org/upcoming/index.html

November 21 - TC, National Day of Remembrance of Road Crash Victims, Canada http://www.arrivealive.org/upcoming/index.html

December 1 – 7 - National Safe Driving Week http://canadasafetycouncil.org/campaigns/safe_driving