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Improving heavy vehicle safety in QLD

The Queensland Governtment has launched its Heavy Vehicle Safety Action Plan 2016-18, aimed at reducing accidents involving heavy vehicles.

The Queensland Governtment has launched its Heavy Vehicle Safety Action Plan 2016-18, aimed at reducing accidents involving heavy vehicles.The Queensland Governtment has launched its Heavy Vehicle Safety Action Plan 2016-18, aimed at reducing accidents involving heavy vehicles.

Queensland Main Roads and Road Safety Minister Mark Bailey and Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe commenced the plan at the first meeting of the Ministerial Freight Council in February.

The plan presents 31 initiatives across six key action areas. These include safer roads, safer vehicles, fatigue management, safer speeds seatbelts, impaired driving and driver distraction.

“In 2015, heavy vehicles accounted for about 2.3 per cent of all registered vehicles in Queensland, but were involved in 20.2 per cent of all road fatalities,” Mr. Bailey said in a statement.

“Traffic crashes are usually due to a combination of factors including driver behaviour, speed, road conditions and vehicle safety. When you add a heavy vehicle into the equation, the size and mass of the vehicle means the outcome is more likely to be tragic.”

Mr. Bailey said that in 2015 there were 49 fatalities, and hundreds of people seriously injured as a result of heavy vehicle involvement in crashes.

The plan has been prepared in partnership with the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, the Queensland Police Service and the heavy vehicle industry.

“I’d like to particularly acknowledge the work of Peter Garske, who chairs the group, and has been unwavering in his commitment to bring everyone together to improve heavy vehicle safety,” added Mr. Bailey.

He said often heavy vehicle drivers are not at fault when serious crashes take place on the states vast road network.

“The Queensland Road Safety Action Plan 2015-17 includes an action about assisting motorists to share the road safely with heavy vehicles,” he said.

Mr. Hinchliffe also said in the statement that safety was important because heavy vehicles are a critical part of Queensland’s freight network, supporting jobs and delivering essential goods and services to communities.

“A key action will be to audit rest areas across the state and determine where improvements are needed to ensure heavy vehicle drivers can take rest opportunities and comply with fatigue management laws in Queensland,” he said.

The Heavy Vehicle Safety Action Plan 2016-18 focusses on working with the heavy vehicle industry to make further safety improvements.

Key actions include:

  • Conducting an audit of rest areas to determine where improvements are needed to assist the heavy vehicle industry to meet fatigue management needs
  • Encouraging the heavy vehicle industry to include safe road user behaviours for drivers in commercial contracts
  • Identifying why some heavy vehicle drivers do not wear seatbelts and develop options for how this can be addressed

More information on the Heavy Vehicle Safety Action Plan 2016–18 can be found at www.tmr.qld.gov.au

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