Bogus Survey

A public opinion survey from the Traffic Injury Research Foundation and sponsored by the Railway Association of Canada, the Brewers of Canada and Transport Canada is making the rounds and the mainstream media is treating it as if it were a scientific study.
The survey was a public opinion poll which asked an uninformed public, questions that could only be answered with a ‘yes’. One of the resulting statistics was; 70 percent of Canadians believe trucks
that don’t meet legal maintenance standings are a serious problem. It’s hard to fathom how the other 30 per cent thought that a truck not meeting legal standards is safe. Another 70 percent believe that truck drivers who are tired from long hours of driving are a serious problem. Again where did that other 30 percent go?
As David Bradley of the Canadian Trucking Alliance explained, “If the safety performance of Canadian trucks and their drivers had been properly revealed to the survey respondents, it would very likely have dispelled their concerns over fatigue and substance use among truck drivers.”
“Canadian truck drivers who must comply with United States testing rules to operate on international routes – show that the incidence of drug use among 20,000 drivers tested is about 0.6 percent, while positive tests for alcohol occur in only 0.07 percent of cases.
Transport Canada’s own statistics show driver fatigue was a factor in only 1.3 percent of fatal collisions involving commercial vehicles. Commercial drivers involved in fatal collisions were determined to be driving properly 80 percent of the time.
The discredited group, Crash, was also taken seriously until it came to light that they were an “Independent non-profit organization” that also just happened to be financed by the railways. The railways of course are the trucking industries main competition in the movement of freight.
Could it be that the media is really that naïve or does it have more to do with not wanting to ruin a good story with facts?