THE SAFETY EXPERIENCE OF LARGE TRUCKS IN SASKATCHEWAN

This report contains the results of a study to develop an improved data base and understanding of truck related accidents in Saskatchewan, Canada. The investigation method utilized was determining over-the-road accident rates. The specific objectives were: to quantify the number and type of accidents involving large trucks; to develop estimates of accident rates for large trucks; to compare the accident experience of large trucks operating in Saskatchewan with the experience of other vehicle types in Saskatchewan and large trucks operating in other jurisdictions; and to identify and quantify any safety related problem areas respecting large trucks operating in Saskatchewan. Some of the study findings were as follows: most of the serious accidents involving large trucks occurred in rural areas; large trucks were involved in relatively few accidents in total, but were involved in a disproportionate number relative to their proportion in the total vehicle fleet, and further were involved in a disproportionately large number of the serious accidents; large trucks experienced about the same number of accidents per million km of highway travel as the vehicle population as a whole; the accident experience of large trucks operating on Saskatchewan provincial highways is about the same as large trucks operating on the interstate highway system in the U.S.; major contributing factors to accidents involving large trucks are human conditions (32%) and environmental factors (40%), with about 35% of large truck accidents related to vehicle type, vehicle configuration or vehicle stability; double trailer combinations experienced significantly less accidents per million vehicle km of travel than single trailer units; and, in general, vehicle type and configuration played a much less important role in the overall accident experience of large trucks than generally perceived by the public and transportation professionals.