ATA Safety Truck back on the road

The Australian Trucking Association's mobile road safety exhibition, the SafeT360 truck, is back on the road, and recently headed to South Australia and the Adelaide Careers & Employment Expo.

The event marks the return of the SafeT360 to public life, after several months off the road due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its associated travel and border restrictions.

The cutting-edge rolling showcase, with custom trailer featuring a virtual reality experience and other exhibits, is used to highlight the importance of road safety as it relates to heavy vehicles, and how heavy vehicles have different requirements to those of other road users.

The exhibit is used to target young road users in particular, who figure prominently and road accident statistics.

"Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the SafeT360 travelling exhibition was put on pause and we shifted our focus to delivering an online campaign with our digital content," said ATA Safety, Health and Wellbeing Director, Melissa Weller.

"As restrictions are now lifting, we are excited to be able to get the truck back on the road and resume our national tour."

Now the vehicle will take its message at visitors to the Adelaide Careers & Employment Expo, increasing young peoples’ understanding of truck blind spots, stopping distances, overtaking procedures, risks associated with distraction and key messages for vulnerable road users.

"Research tells us that young people aged 16-25 years are overrepresented in crashes on our roads, which is why SafeT360 specifically targets this age group through an engaging and interactive experience," said Mrs Weller.

"SafeT360 educates young road users by putting them in the virtual driver's seat. It is providing the hands-on experience and knowledge that is not offered by learner driver programs.

"We harness virtual reality technology to educate our audience and change their behaviour, by informing them how to keep safe around trucks on the road."

President of the South Australian Road Transport Association Sharon Middleton AM said the association was proud to partner with the ATA in bringing SafeT360 to Adelaide to attend the careers expo.

"The SafeT360 trailer is a fantastic and very important road safety initiative by our industry," she said.

"The vital role of the trucking industry in sustaining the community has been made very clear during the COVID crisis and our industry provides great career opportunities for men and women.

"Our professional truck drivers are very safety conscious and the SafeT360 trailer and its interactive displays help save lives by showing other road users how to share the road safely with trucks."

The Adelaide Careers & Employment Expo will be held at Adelaide Showground over October 16 and 17, and is open daily from 9:00am to 5:00pm.