Canadians' Views on Trucking Safety on Canada's Highways

This Angus Reid Group/CRASH (Canadians for Responsible and Safe Highways) poll was conducted between April 1st and 7th, 1998 among a representative cross-section of 1,504 Canadians. In part, this study updates benchmarks established in 1996 and also explores new questions. The Angus Reid Group probed Canadians about highway and trucking industry issues such as safety, the size of trucks that should be permitted on the roads and the legal length of truck drivers' work-weeks.

These issues tend to cut across most demographic categories as Canadians, regardless of age, gender, education and income share similar views about trucking safety on Canada's highways. It is interesting; however, that the results are somewhat more heavily skewed toward the majority perspective among older Canadians (that is, there is greater consensus among Canadians over 55 years than among those between 18 and 34 years). There are also some interesting regional differences that will be highlighted throughout this press release.

More than half (54%) believe Canada's roads and highways are becoming "less safe"

There is an increasing sense that Canada's roads and highways are becoming "less safe". Today, more than half (54%) of Canadians believe that their roads and highways are "less safe" compared to just under half (49%) since the last sounding of public opinion in 1996. A sizable minority (35%) opines that they have become "safer" and one in ten (9%) do not notice any change.

Residents of Saskatchewan/Manitoba (66%) and Ontario (58%) are among the most likely to indicate that Canada's roads and highways have become less safe. In addition, British Columbians (40%) are the most likely to indicate that Canada's roads and highways are becoming "safer".

In addition, respondents were informed that the number of tractor-trailer trucks operating on Canadian roads has increased over the past five years and asked whether this upward trend has made travel on Canadian roads and highways more safe or more dangerous. Given this information, four out of five respondents (80%) indicate that travel has become more dangerous.

Canadians frown on bigger trucks

An overwhelming majority of Canadians continues to oppose the use of twin 48-foot combination trucks (86% today, 87% in 1996). Canadians have quite strong convictions about this issue as seven in ten (71%) indicate that they "strongly oppose" allowing single tractors to pull a second 48-foot trailer behind the first one to create a twin 48-foot combination. A small group (12%) favours the use of these expanded trucks.

In addition, almost all Canadians oppose the use of triple-trailer combination vehicles (95% today; 94% in 1996). Similar to the case of twin 48-foot combination trucks, Canadians also express very strong feelings about allowing single tractors to pull a third 28-foot trailer behind the first two trailers as 85% indicate that they "strongly oppose" the use of these expanded trucks.

Strong opposition to truck drivers spending longer hours on the road

Provided with three different contexts, most Canadians oppose truck drivers spending longer hours on the road.

In one scenario, respondents were told that Canadian truck drivers may now legally drive for 13 consecutive hours whereas in the United States, truck drivers are not allowed to drive for more than 10 consecutive hours. Identical to the results gleaned from the 1996 study, 86% continue to favour reducing the Canadian 13-hour ceiling to the lower American limit of 10 hours. Twelve percent (12%) oppose such a reduction. Once again, a large proportion of Canadians feel very strongly about reducing the number of consecutive hours that Canadian truck drivers spend on the road as 73% strongly favour such a reduction. Quebecers are the most likely to want to see the hours reduced (95%) while Albertans are the least likely to support reducing truckers hours (74%).

Respondents were also asked to provide their opinion on the possibility of increasing the total number of hours that a truck driver can work each week from 60 hours to 70 hours. A large majority (83%) says it would be unacceptable to increase the legal limit on the length of Canadian truck drivers' work-week from the current 60 hours a week to 70 hours a week (62% find it very unacceptable).

In addition, those respondents who find an increase to 70 hours a week to be acceptable were asked if they would find an increase to 100 hours a week to be acceptable. Eight in ten (84%) would find such an increase unacceptable.

Preventative devices do not put Canadians at ease about more hours on road

The use of training and monitoring devices designed to help truck drivers deal with fatigue do not convince Canadians to support a longer work-week for truck drivers.

When respondents who would find an increase to 70 hours a week unacceptable were asked whether they would change their minds if measures to assist drivers in dealing with fatigue were introduced, such as training programs and on-board instruments, eight in ten (78%) still oppose such an increase (60% strongly oppose).

When respondents who support a 70-hour work-week, but not a 100 hour work-week were asked if they would support an increase to 100 hours a week if measures such as training and on-board instruments were introduced, a large majority (86%) continue to oppose such an increase (71% strongly oppose).

Finally, those who oppose such an increase were told that Saskatchewan and Alberta already allow truck drivers to work more than 100 hours a week and asked again if they would favour or oppose increasing the legal maximum work hours for truck drivers to 100 hours?" Once again, a very large majority (94%) says they oppose such an increase (77% strongly oppose).

This Angus Reid/CRASH (Canadians for Responsible and Safe Highways) poll was conducted by telephone between April 1st and 7th, 1998 among a representative cross-section of 1,504 Canadians.

These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflect that of the actual Canadian population according to the 1996 Census data.

With a Canada-wide sample of 1,504, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results are within ±2.5 percentage points of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Rose D. Sottile
Research Manager, Strategic Communications
The Angus Reid Group
Toronto, Ontario
(416) 324-2900