Ontario and Quebec now require electronic speed limiters on large trucks, but other provinces are rejecting the concept, saying the devices can sometimes actually make roads less safe.
Even a study commissioned by the federal government has concluded there are safety questions about speed limiters, especially in heavy traffic.
“As the (traffic) volume is set close to capacity … more vehicle interactions take place and this leads to a reduction in safety, especially for those segments with increased merging and lane-change activity, such as on- and off-ramp segments,” reads the report prepared last year for Transport Canada by the University of Waterloo.
“In these instances, the introduction of truck speed limiters can actually reduce the level of safety when compared to the non-limiter case.”
