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PRINCE
GEORGE – A new online tool will improve road safety by making it easier to
identify and report unsafe driving of forestry vehicles and logging trucks, Forests
and Range Minister Pat Bell announced today.
“There’s no room on forestry roads for aggressive
or careless driving,” said
Originated by Canfor, the Vehicle Identification
Number Plates Program was subsequently adopted and expanded by Forestry
TruckSafe. The program involves a special plate mounted to the front bumper of
a registered truck or vehicle.
The special plate, supported by an online registry
and a TruckSafe hotline, makes it simpler and easier to report unsafe driving
incidents.
Road users can access the registry to identify the
vehicle owner, and then contact the company directly to report the event or to
file a complaint. Or they have the option to request TruckSafe to follow-up
with the company involved.
“The identification plates program has proven
effective in enabling the forest sector to self-monitor and be more accountable
for its driving performance,” said MaryAnne Arcand, Forestry TruckSafe
director. “The online registry will give us an even better grip on unsafe
driving. It can also be used as a way to highlight good driving records and
safe operators behind the wheel.”
The Vehicle Identification Number Plates Program is
voluntary, and has been widely implemented in several regions of the province,
including the Omineca, Bulkley-Nechako and North Thompson. Forestry TruckSafe
would like to see it expanded provincewide to include other regions such as the
Okanagan, Kootenays, and
There are roughly 5,000 vehicles currently
registered in the program, ranging from pick-ups to dump trucks to logging
trucks. These vehicles belong to logging contractors, forests companies,
silviculturalists, the Ministry of Forests and Range, BC Timber Sales, the Ministry
of Environment, road maintenance crews and First Nations, as well as other
stakeholders with small fleets of forestry vehicles.
The online registry for the Vehicle Identification
Number Plates Program can be accessed at http://www.bcforestsafe.org/.
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Communications Manager Ministry of Forests and Range 250 387-5728 |
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