After years of working diligently to boost public awareness about the tragic issue of driver fatigue, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1624 has launched a campaign to call on the Federal Ministry of Transportation to legislate safer rules to regulate the hours of service of motor coach drivers.
The Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators reports that fatigue is the key factor in over 20 percent of vehicle collisions, resulting in over 300 deaths and 2,000 serious injuries every year. This makes fatigue the highest measurable cause of collisions, after driving drunk and driving aggressively.
Motor coach drivers are forced to work long hours with minimal compensation and very little time between shifts. As a result, a driver’s reaction time is seriously compromised and the opportunity for a fatal collision is increased exponentially. These serious concerns were highlighted by the Canadian Safety Council when it wrote that “Driving while fatigued is comparable to drunk driving, only there is not the same social stigma attached.” However, unfortunately far too many Canadian coach drivers are not prevented from taking the necessary precautions to guard against fatigue.
In an attempt to reduce driver fatigue and increase public, driver and passenger safety on Canadian roadways, the Canadian government is being asked to pass legislation to:
- limit daily driving time to a 10 hour maximum;
- ensure that no driver is on duty for more than 14 hours per day;
- guarantee 10 hours of rest between shifts;
- equip all motor coach vehicles with electronic logging technology; and
- create a distinction between motor coach vehicles and trucks.
Click here to watch the video of ATU 1624 President and Business Manager Allan Medd on driver fatigue.
Click here to sign the petition to put an end to this carnage on our roadways.