Mr. Speaker, I rise to present two petitions on different topics.
The first is with respect to safety on our roads. The petitioners note that the best-selling passenger vehicles in Canada are pickup trucks and SUVs, which are characterized by tall, blunt hoods. They recognize that the increasing weight and hood height of pickup trucks and SUVs pose significant dangers to other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and occupants of smaller vehicles.
The petitioners describe the increased risk to other road users based on the additional weight of these larger vehicles. They note that Canada's motor vehicle safety standards currently only assess safety for drivers and occupants, neglecting the safety hazards that vehicles pose to other road users, including those I mentioned before, like pedestrians and cyclists.
The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to do two things. The first is to require vehicle safety testing that evaluates risks posed by vehicles to other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and those in smaller vehicles. The second is to improve safety requirements for vehicle size and weight.