Safer Roads Canada was created by the families of the victims of the 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash (Photo 138879146 © Vitpho | Dreamstime.com)

By Ben Tompkins

Saskatchewan Driving Programs

Safer Roads Canada promoting safety around heavy trucks

Apr 19, 2023 | 4:35 PM

Safer Roads Canada has released two educational videos that promote safety around heavy trucks.

The organization was formed by a group of families of the victims of the 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash.

They are focused on improving road safety in the commercial trucking sector by advocating for enhanced entry-level class 1 driver training and promoting a strong safety culture.

“We wanted to try to make some changes in the trucking industry along with some of the other family members,” said Carol Brons, board member for Safer Roads Canada. Carol’s daughter Dayna was one of 16 killed in the Broncos bus crash.

“We formed Safer Roads Canada, and made it as a not-for-profit organization, so we started trying to find ways to make ourselves more visible and make more of an impact.”

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This led to a partnership with several organizations as the project was funded by Transport Canada’s Enhanced Road Safety Transfer Payment Program, alongside SGI and the Saskatchewan Trucking Association (STA).

All of the groups have a shared goal of making roads safer, and by working together, are aiming to amplify the shared safety message and bring added awareness of safety around large trucks to all road users.

“The biggest message is that we’re all responsible for everybody’s safety,” explained Brons. “We need people to be aware all the time, to take the time to actually slow down and take a look around, and not just go headstrong into something because you may injure yourself or cause somebody else’s injury.”

Both videos are available to trainees in class 1 and class 5 driving programs in Saskatchewan, with the hope of expanding it nationwide.

The first video is ‘Day in the Life of a truck driver’, while the second video is titled ‘Trucking and Safety.’

Messages throughout the first video include “slow down if you have to, do what’s right not what’s easy, do it by the book don’t write, don’t cut corners, and if it takes you longer to do your route just do it as long as you do it safely.”

Meanwhile the latter stated, “there were 29 people on that bus but thousands were affected, the loss of a child you can’t describe it, it’s a hole in our life that’s never going to be filled, it’s taken me a long time to get back to sort of the person I was before, and people are in too much of a hurry everyone’s time seems more important than their safety.”

In a final statement, Brons added she thought the videos turned out pretty good, and that everyone needs to have initiatives and something to work towards.

“It’s become our goal to make Dayna’s death not in vain, give it some purpose, and make something good come out of something terrible.”

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news@northeastnow.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8