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NLIS 5 June 4, 2003 (Government Services and Lands) Minister Sweeney welcomes trucking safety award George Sweeney, Minister of Government Services and Lands, is delighted with the recognition government has received for provincial trucking safety measures it has implemented in the province over the past several years. On Monday, June 2, Canadians for Responsible and Safe Highways (CRASH) presented David Norman, Registrar of Motor Vehicles, with an award recognizing this province for scoring the highest in a Report Card on Trucking Safety. The document was compiled using trucking safety, inspection, accident, and injury data compiled over the past five years by Transport Canada. "To receive the highest grade in the country is exemplary. To view this report card and see that Newfoundland and Labrador scored higher than Nova Scotia which placed first in the last report and substantially better than all other provinces in the country is a testament of our commitment to public safety. "It is encouraging to see that this province�s fatality rate is half the national average. As well, the injury rate in this province is a full 150 per cent less than the national average," said Minister Sweeney. It has been a team effort that has brought Newfoundland and Labrador to the top of the latest CRASH Report Card. "Having a group consisting of highway enforcement officers, government policy makers, Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, industry officials, and an organization like CRASH together in one room to celebrate this award is evidence that this province is on the right track," said Minister Sweeney. "We all recognize that one accident is one too many; however, it is also positive to evaluate how our collective efforts to implement safety initiatives measure up to that of other jurisdictions." Newfoundland and Labrador has implemented several initiatives during the period since the previous report card issued in 1999. Additionally, other programs and policies have been evolving since the latest data used for the report card. "I�m proud to say that we�ve improved on our 1999 record and this province is an example for the rest of the country. Over the past several years, we have committed ourselves to several things which improve our commercial vehicle highway safety performance. Most importantly, we have trained 15 new CVSA inspectors, committed ourselves to the National Safety Code, increased the number of safety audits, adopted load security standards, and implemented new hours of service standards," said Minister Sweeney. To view more information about CRASH and see the latest edition of the report card, visit their website at www.web.net/~crash/ Photo # 1: Bob Evans of CRASH (R) and David Norman, Registrar of Motor Vehicles (L) Photo # 2: Bob Evans of CRASH (R) and David Norman, Registrar of Motor Vehicles (L), with government policy makers, police, and industry officials Media contact:
2003 06 04 2:00 p.m. |
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