Road safety committee hears industry road safety recommendations
The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has called for better post-crash care, particularly in remote areas and involving heavy vehicles, to improve road safety outcomes.
Providing evidence to the Joint Select Committee on Road Safety, ATA chief of staff Bill McKinley strongly urged the committee to consider the recommendations of ATA members the Western Roads Federation (WRF) and the NT Road Transport Association (NTRTA).
Both associations, working with the support of the Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI) and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), are delivering a course about communicating with emergency services, maintaining safety, conducting casualty assessments and supporting trauma victims for extended periods.
During the hearing, McKinley also raised concerns about the current draft of the 2021 to 2030 National Road Safety Strategy, and the need to increase heavy vehicle awareness.
ATA’s call on closing road data gaps, here
“The draft National Road Safety Strategy floats overarching targets like a 50 per cent reduction in fatalities and a 30 per cent reduction in serious injuries by 2030,” McKinley said.
“The government and this committee all want to achieve ambitious road safety targets, and so do we.
“But the strategy lacks published modelling and quantified sub-targets so we can understand how the strategy will achieve those targets.
“A key action in achieving Vision Zero is improving future driver education campaigns, including those on heavy vehicle awareness.
“The ATA’s research partnership with the University of Newcastle has revealed there is little driver education material for young drivers about sharing the road safely with trucks.
“Government must take action.”
The ATA and NatRoad made a joint submission to the inquiry, which can be found here.