Coroner's report proves truck side guards save lives: MP
Brossard Member of Parliament Hoang Mai tabled private member's bill for mandatory truck side guards
Brossard Member of Parliament Hoang Mai is again bringing up the issue of side guards on trucks, saying the coroner's report released into the death of Montreal cyclist Mathilde Blais is further proof the devices do save lives.
“If side guards would have been installed on the truck that hit Mathilde Blais, she probably wouldn't have gone under the truck and probably her life could have been saved,” said Mai.
Mai held a news conference today on Parliament Hill to talk about the issue and was joined by Jeannette Holman-Price, whose daughter Jessica was killed by a snow-clearing truck in Westmount in 2005.
Holman-Price said more and more coroners are highlighting the devices as something that could save lives.
She said some towns and cities have already started to install them on their trucks; however, she believes Ottawa needs to step in and put laws in place across the country.
“It's a sin that it has to go municipality by municipality when in fact, it needs to be federally legislated so that everyone across the board is protected at an equal level,” said Holman-Price. “The government of Canada owes it to Canadians to do what they know will help to save lives.”
Hoang Mai has tabled a private member's bill to push the government to make side guards mandatory.
The bill is scheduled to be debated later this month, and Mai is hoping it will be put to a vote late this year or early 2015.