A northern Ontario MPP is proposing new truckers take winter driving training.
NDP MPP Guy Bourgouin is offering a Private Member’s Bill that would require truckers to complete 20 hours on a simulator to expose them to winter driving conditions.
If passed, the training would be mandatory for any new driver seeking a Class A or D license.
“Unfortunately, when truck drivers don’t have the proper training to handle these heavy-duty vehicles in poor winter conditions, accidents are basically inevitable. Inexperienced, untrained drivers put everyone’s lives at stake,” says Bourgouin.
Bourgouin believes such training would reduce the number accidents involving commercial vehicles.
The Ontario Provincial Police 2023 annual report shows that in the past three years, there have been over 24,000 collisions involving commercial motor vehicles and trucks.
Those collisions have resulted in 234 deaths.
Mark Andrews, a former police officer and now a road safety advocate, says simulated training is effective.
“At 100 kilometres an hour, a vehicle travels the length of a hockey rink in two seconds. Our capacity as humans to perceive a situation and react to that situation takes 1.5 seconds,” says Andrews.
“We know that people under stress make poor decisions 70% of the time. Simulated training is used to enhance experience, to know what might occur before so students can make a good decision because they have experienced the situation in a simulator, not on the highway.”
Travis McDougall, co-founder of Truckers for Safer Highways, says too many drivers are entering the industry without the skills to navigate Canada’s harsh winter conditions.
“They lack the knowledge of how a truck behaves on icy roads, how to adjust their driving techniques and the importance of recognizing their limits,” says McDougall.
“This dangerous gap in training puts countless lives at risk.”
First reading of the proposed bill took place at Queen’s Park on Tuesday.
