EVALUATION OF COMMERCIAL VEHICLE SAFETY: THE DEFINITION OF SAFETY

The purpose of this study is to devise methods for a comprehensive evaluation of commercial vehicle safety in Ontario. Specific objectives were to define what commercial vehicle safety is to mean, and to develop methods and models for tracking and projecting commercial vehicle safety as defined. The complications involved in developing a definition of safety based on collisions per kilometer led the study team to assess the specific needs of a variety of safety data users and to investigate methods of providing specific measures of safety for their objectives. The needs that were considered included vehicle and licensing control, driver control, road design and maintenance, traffic management, and public information. The study also reviewed the current sources of data for collisions, vehicle and operator populations, fitness indicators, and exposure. The final section provides the team's recommended actions which include examples of the type of publications and research that could be undertaken using existing and enhanced data.