Quebec's Road Safety Plan: Concerns of Conflicting Vehicle Safety Standards
Quebec's new Road Safety Action Plan includes the development of a "safety index" for heavy vehicles to protect vulnerable road users like cyclists and pedestrians. This index would apply scores based on factors like driver visibility, mirrors, cameras, alarms, lights, and side guards. However, the concern raised is the potential for conflicting standards across jurisdictions, leading to complications for fleets and owner-operators that travel through multiple areas with different requirements. The article suggests that a more standardized approach, similar to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) proposals for automatic emergency braking systems, would be more effective in promoting road safety.
The union representing nearly 9,300 workers at Canada’s top two rail companies is signaling a potential work stoppage due to stalled negotiations over working conditions and wage hikes.