Collisions involving large trucks tend to be more severe than other motor vehicle collisions due to the size and weight of the vehicles involved. Preventing the injuries and fatalities associated with large truck collisions requires understanding causal factors and applying appropriate interventions that operate against these causes. In order to better understand the causes of large truck collisions in Ontario and how to best intervene against those causes, the Ministry of Transportation has initiated an Ontario-specific large truck collision causation study (LTCCS), and an evaluation of Ontario's truck safety oversight system (TSO). Ontario's LTCCS differs in approach from many previously conducted studies in that it is designed to focus on a variety of potential collision causes with a systems view in mind. As such, our aim is to gain depper insight into the diversity of larger-scale factors that could not easily be assessed at the scene of a collision. Similarly, the aim of the TSO evaluation is to yield not only an understanding of the effectiveness of truck safety interventions, but rather of their relative, individual, and combined impacts. For the LTCCS, a mixed methods approach has been taken, starting with literature reviews and focus groups of large trucks drivers, enforcement officers, police collision reconstructionists, and safety risk managers. Following this, specific focus areas and hypotheses relating to the causes of large truck collisions were developed and operationalized based on available data. These hypotheses will be tested statistically against Ontario data so that a final list of validated or supported causal factors can be produced. For the TSO, we will first determine which elements of driver, vehicle, and carrier records (based on recorded collisions, convictions, inspections, and facility audits) are predictive of future collision involvement, then measure the relative effectiveness of current TSO interventions. Finally, we will determine whether the causal factors identified through the LTCCS are being optimally targeted by the TSO system. Five themes emerged from literature review and focus groups: 1) Risk-taking behaviour by large truck and other drivers, 2) Knowledge of other road users concerning large truck dynamics, 3) Safety culture and the demands placed on large truck drivers, 4) Varying enforcement levels over geography and time, and 5) Roadway elements. From these themes, operationalized research questions have been developed for the LTCCS. Data analysis for both the LTTCS and TSO evaluation is underway. Taken together, results from Ontario's LTCCS and TSO evaluation will enable the development of a provincial strategy to further reduce injuries and fatalities due to large truck collisions. Improving large truck study requires a multi-faceted approach.<\/p>\n
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