The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) is calling on all road users to look out for one another on remote and regional roads for September’s Rural Road Safety Month.
The safety month, imploring motorists to take extra care, is an initiative of the Australian Road Safety Foundation, highlights that 205 lives were lost from collisions involving heavy vehicles last financial year.
NHVR Chief Operations Officer, Paul Salvati, said it was alarming that almost 60 per cent of those fatalities occurred in rural or remote areas.
“When travelling through rural or remote roads in Australia, there’s unique challenges and risks involved compared to travelling in suburban areas,” he said.
“You’re more likely to encounter larger trucks which require longer distances to stop safely and have multiple blind spots, meaning the driver may not know you’re there.”
Salvati reminded motorists that trucks are vital to keeping Australia moving — and that everyone, has a crucial role to play in keeping our roads safe.
“That means giving trucks extra space, only overtaking when it’s safe, and always keeping a safe following distance,” he said.
“Losing loved ones in a road accident is a tragedy, so we want to remind all drivers to take extra caution when getting behind the wheel.
“Every road user can reduce the risk – slow down, stay alert, be patient around heavy vehicles and never risk taking a chance with it comes to safety.”
The NHVR runs ongoing safety campaigns to educate drivers on how to safely drive around trucks, for seasoned drivers or newly licensed motorists.
The NHVR’s Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI) funds crucial projects that deliver real safety improvements across Australia’s heavy vehicle industry and help protect all road users.
This includes St John Ambulance’s Defibs in Trucks Program, which equips 50 heavy vehicles with new, high quality Automated External Defibrillators (AED’s) and provide first aid training to drivers, particularly in rural and remote regions.
Paul Salvati said the initiative is a perfect example of how the HVSI program is making a difference on Australia’s roads by increasing truck drivers’ knowledge and confidence in providing bystander first aid.
“Truck drivers are often the first responders to incidents in rural areas, so this fantastic initiative will assist in reducing roadside deaths.” he said.
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