The Safety Drive Day, held on March 3 and 4, was advertised as ‘An event like no other’ and this proved to be so as attendees were treated to demonstrations, displays and forum sessions with the accent on new safety technology for the road transport industry.
The 2011 event follows on from previous years where practical safety demonstrations showcased huge advances made by truck, trailer and car manufacturers in the safety arena, and this year there was plenty to show.
With the Safety Drive Day supported by major sponsors Volvo Trucks, Scania, DAF, Hino, Mercedes-Benz and Kenworth along with VicRoads, the RACV, CityLink, the Truck Industry Council, TAC and a host of other industry suppliers there was plenty on hand to give those attending a major insight into safety developments in trucking and for the motoring public.
The Thursday event began with a panel session led by Dr Peter Hart, Australian Road Transport Suppliers Association (ARTSA) president, involving addresses by manufacturers outlining new safety initiatives engineered for vehicles on Australian roads. Truck manufacturers are continually developing safety systems designed to address accidents and injury on our roads and quantum leaps have been achieved.
A huge crowd was in attendance including, most gratifyingly, a large representation from enforcement agencies, government departments and local councils keen to learn more about how technology is designed to save lives as well as contribute greatly to quiet operation, increase productivity and contribute to the environment.
The Safety Drive Day is much more than an expo, it gives people the opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge by being able to drive vehicles themselves and experience exactly how technology works with vehicles in operation.
Of particular interest were advances made in Adaptive Cruise Control where trucks can electronically monitor distance from the vehicle ahead and, if necessary, power down or apply braking should the distance suddenly become shorter than is safe.
Demonstrating this Mercedes-Benz and Volvo had cars on the Sandown track followed by trucks, with attendees in the driving seat of the trucks and passenger seats of cars gaining the full safety experience. Volvo also had a blow-up model car stationary on the circuit to demonstrate emergency braking without actions by the driver. Obviously lane departure alert, the now available use of surveillance cameras, and new braking features were also showcased in a practical manner.
Activities on the track were in high demand as people took to the wheel. The VTA organised a comprehensive list of activities, both indoors and out, encompassing a variety of equipment made available by industry suppliers.
Driver training was highlighted and DECA had one of its mobile DriveSim units on display where people could gain valuable information on how modern training is available to a wide range of people, both within the transport industry and for those seeking a career behind the wheel.
It was interesting to note a high number of participants were from regulatory authorities, enforcement ranks and government getting a taste of what the road transport industry has on offer in the safety stakes.
People were able to discuss all manner of safety related subjects with experts from manufacturers and industry suppliers as well as have discussions concerning PBS vehicles with senior government officials, an opportunity many in the industry took advantage of.
The two day event at Sandown was a continual hive of activity as a stream of registered visitors entered the complex and at each turn they were delivered a full program with a host of information and made aware of what the industry has achieved in safety terms.
The Safety Drive Day was a highly professional and unqualified success for organisers and exhibitors, with quality demonstrations and static displays offering much to attendees on both days.