ATA: Gov funding for new-look Safety Truck

The Australian Trucking Association's Volvo Safety Truck will receive a makeover courtesy of $400,000 in government funding.

The funding was announced recently by Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, who unveiled the cash injection alongside ATA CEO, Ben Maguire, and Volvo Group Australia President and CEO, Martin Merrick.

With its last significant revision in 2013, the ATA says the funds will contribute to a major update of the road-safety exhibition, which has been promoting heavy vehicle road-safety awareness since 2008.

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The ATA says a new Safety Truck and campaign will deliver an engaging hands-on experience that puts young road users in a virtual driver's seat to experience the realities of truck driving, to learn how to keep safe around trucks on the road.

This will be supported by informative, small group presentations that reinforce safety messages and drive behavioural change.

"Deputy Prime Minister McCormack understands the importance of road safety and our common vision of zero fatal or serious injury crashes on our roads," said Mr Maguire.

"I am delighted to accept the funding, knowing that it will save lives.

"The new campaign will specifically target 16- to 25-year-old drivers and vulnerable road users, as they are over-represented in crash statistics."

According to accident data, around 80 per cent of fatal multi-vehicle crashes involving trucks are not the fault of the truck driver, while 25 per cent of people involved in casualty crashes with trucks are aged 26 or younger, despite the cohort only representing 10 to 15 per cent of the driver population.

ATA Safety and Skills Adviser, Melissa Weller, who is leading the project, said the new-look Safety Truck would place a strong emphasis on educating younger drivers.

"The refreshed Safety Truck will deliver its messages through videos, virtual reality and small group presentations," she said.

"It will focus on truck blind spots, stopping distances, overtaking procedures and the risks associated with driver, pedestrian and cyclist distraction.

"We are going to work with academic road safety researchers to design and implement a study that will assess road safety trends and allow us to measure the impact of the Safety Truck on on-road behaviour and statistics."

The refurbishment will commence in June 2019, with the new truck and campaign to be launched in conjunction with the ATA's 30th anniversary celebrations in October 2019.