Canadians' Views on Trucking Safety on Canada's Highways

Ottawa, Ontario, (April 25, 2002) -- This Ipsos-Reid/CRASH (Canadians for Responsible and Safe Highways) poll was conducted between April 2 to 7, 2002 among a representative sample of 1,000 adult Canadians. Results show a significant level of public concern about the safety of Canada's roads and highway safety. The majority (55%) of Canadians believe that Canada's roads and highways are becoming less safe. Eight in ten (78%) Canadians say the number of tractor-trailer trucks on our roads and highways has increased over the past 5 years and seven in ten (70%) say there is a problem with the number of tractor-trailer trucks on our highways and roads. Four in five (83%) say the number of tractor-trailer trucks has made roads and highways more dangerous. The results from this survey also show high levels of support for setting restrictions on the number of hours drivers of tractor-trailers can work and the use of on-board electronic devices that record actual driving hours.

This Ipsos-Reid/CRASH (Canadians for Responsible and Safe Highways) poll was conducted by telephone between April 2 to 7, 2002 among a representative cross-section of 1,000 Canadians. These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the 1996 Census data. With a Canada-wide sample of 1,000, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results are within +3.1 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. Tracking data from surveys conducted in 1996, 1998 and 2000 are provided where appropriate.

A Majority (55%) Believe Canada's Roads and Highways are Becoming "Less Safe"

The majority (55%) of Canadians believe Canada's roads and highways are becoming less safe. This marks a 6-point increase since this question was first asked in 1996. Another 8% say road and highway safety has remained the same (7%) or they don't know (1%), while one third (38%) say it is becoming safer.

• Canadians 55 years and older (64%), women (57%), residents of BC (61%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (62%) and Ontario (61%) are most likely to say that Canada's roads are becoming less safe.

Eight In Ten (78%) Canadians Say the Number of Tractor-Trailer Trucks on Our Roads and Highways Has Increased Over the Past 5 Years

Eight in ten (78%) Canadians believe that the number of tractor-trailers on Canada's roads and highways has increased over the past five years. This marks a 5-point decrease from the 2000 survey results and little change since the 1996 survey (81%).

• Belief that the number of tractor-trailers has increased is highest among older Canadians (81% of 35 to 54 year olds and 91% of those 55 and up, compared to just 64% of those between 18 and 34) and men (81%).

Seven in ten (70%) Say There is a Problem with the Number of Tractor-Trailer Trucks on Our Highways And Roads

Seven in ten (70%) say the number of tractor-trailer trucks on Canada's roads and highways is a problem. One quarter (24%) say it is a major problem, while a plurality (46%) say that it is somewhat of a problem. Another 22 percent believe the numbers of tractor-trailers is not much of a problem, while only 8 percent say it's not at all a problem.

• Those more likely to believe that the numbers of tractor-trailer trucks on Canada's roads and highways is a problem are older Canadians (70% of 35 to 54 year olds and 81% of those over 55 years old compared to 60% of 18 to 34 year olds), women (73%) and residents of Ontario (75%) and Quebec (75%).

Four in Five (83%) Say the Number of Tractor-Trailer Trucks have Made Roads and Highways More Dangerous

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 safer or more dangerous. Four out of five respondents (83%) believe travel has become more dangerous given this upward trend in the number of tractor-trailer trucks on Canadian roads and highways.

• Those most likely to say that this trend has made travel on Canada's roads and highways more dangerous are residents of Quebec (88%) and Atlantic Canada (90%) and those who have a household income of $30k to $60k (87%).

Concerns Regarding Tractor-Trailers and Road and Highway Safety

When read a list of concerns about the safety of Canada's roads and highways, the poor maintenance and safety record of some trucking firms (33% down 8 points since 2000), the consecutive hours that truck drivers are allowed to drive is too many (28% up 6 points), and the increasing number of trucks on the road is leading to more congestion (17% up 2 points) are most frequently chosen as Canadians' greatest concern.

Canadians Strongly Opposed to Larger Trailer Combinations

Respondents were asked to indicate whether they favour or oppose allowing single tractors to pull a second 53-foot trailer behind the first one to create a twin 53-foot combination. Nine in ten (87%) Canadians oppose the use of twin 53-foot combination trucks. This sentiment is strong among Canadians as two thirds (65%) say they strongly oppose allowing single tractors to pull a second 53-foot trailer behind the first one. A small proportion (12%) are in favour of allowing twin 53-foot combination trucks.

Moreover, Canadians are nearly unanimous (95%) in their opposition to allowing single tractors to pull a third 28-foot trailer behind the first two trailers, to create a triple-trailer combination vehicle. Again, most are strongly opposed (79%) to this proposal, while only 5 percent favour this proposal.

Canadians Believe Increasing Legal Work Limits will Undermine Road Safety (87%), While The Majority do Not Believe Increased Hours will Decrease Consumer Prices

Most Canadians (87%) believe that increasing the legal working limit will undermine road safety by increasing the public's risk of encountering large trucks driven by over-tired drivers (72% strongly agree). Three in five (60%) disagree that increasing the legal working limit will bring freight transportation costs down and will cut prices for consumers (31% strongly disagree).

Long hours Puts Too Much Stress on Drivers

Canadians are nearly unanimous (91%) in their belief that the long hours that truck drivers can be required to work, place too much stress on human beings (74% strongly agree).

Strong Support for Restricting Truck Drivers Hours on Canada's Roads and Highways

Respondents were asked whether they would favour or oppose three scenarios for setting the number of hours truckers can be on the road. Most Canadians favour restricting the number of hours that truck drivers can work.

In one scenario, respondents are 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. Eight in ten (82%) favour reducing the consecutive number of hours that truck drivers in Canada may drive to the American limit of 10 hours. Two-thirds (64%) strongly favour reducing the number of consecutive hours that Canadian truck drivers spend on the road. Less than one in five (17%) oppose such a reduction.

In a second scenario, respondents are told the following: The Canadian government is now proposing that Canadian truck drivers to be able to legally work for 14 hours. In the United States, it is now proposed that truck drivers not be allowed to work for more than 12 consecutive hours. Again, the overwhelming majority (81%) of Canadians favour restricting the consecutive number of hours a truck driver in Canada may work to the proposed American limit of 12 hours. Eighteen percent of Canadians are opposed to this restriction.

In the third scenario respondents are also asked to provide their opinion on the possibility of increasing the total number of hours that a truck driver can work each week to 84 hours when the proposed American limit is 60 hours per week. Most (85%) say they are in favour of restricting the number of hours that a truck driver in Canada can work per week to the American limit of 60 hours (65% are strongly in favour).

• Generally speaking, the highest levels of support for the three working restrictions are found among women, the university-educated and residents of Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada.

Eight in Ten (78%) Favour Requiring On-Board Devices that Record Actual Driving Hours

Eight in ten (78%) Canadians favour a rule requiring that all big trucks be equipped with electronic devices to record actual driving hours. Half (53%) are strongly in favour. One in five (20%) oppose the requirement of an on-board device.

To view the complete release and tables, please download the attached PDF files.

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For more information on this news release, please contact:

Bob Evans
Executive Director
CRASH
(819)770-3523

John Wright
Senior Vice-President,
Public Affairs
Ipsos-Reid
(416) 324-2900