Work begins on new truck safety plan

New South Wales Government is working with the c to create a plan that will improve the safety and productivity of heavy vehicles. “The issue of heavy vehicle safety is one that is being addressed nationally, and all states are working together through forums, such as the Transport and Infrastructure Council, to address this issue,” says Melinda Pavey, NSW Minister for Roads, Maritime, and Freight. The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has put forward a broad-ranging plan. ATA CEO Ben Maguire says that the plan includes “better road crash investigation, more consultation on telematics, a focus on building safety features into roads, and improvements to both car and truck driver training”

Heavy vehicle impacts

A recent NSW report showcases the danger of heavy vehicle accidents. The report found that heavy vehicles account for 17% of all road fatalities—despite only making up 2.4% of the motor vehicle registrations and 8.3% of the kilometers travelled by vehicles. Speeding was the leading behavioural factor in heavy vehicle deaths and serious injuries on NSW roads from 2005 to 2014. The NSW report found that during that time period, speeding occurred with 86 truck drivers involved in fatal crashes and accounted for another 538 truck drivers involved in serious injury crashes.

Finding a long term solution

“We will meet again this week to talk about the truck technology now available,” says Pavey. “We all recognise, though, that the safety discussion needs to include an understanding of what has caused the increase in truck-related fatalities.” The ATA, notably, indicates that around 80% of fatal multi-vehicle crashes involving trucks were not the fault of the truck driver.

“Our urban member businesses are especially concerned about multi-vehicle crashes, which are very often not the fault of the truck driver,” says Road Freight NSW CEO, Simon O’Hara. “These have spiked over the last year, and we need to know why.” Part of the ATA’s plan encourages businesses to adopt risk management systems, such as the ATA’s TruckSafe system, and take multiple steps to improve driver education and training.