Hino tops for safety

The Hino 500 Series Wide Cab has won a Safe Vehicle Award at the Australasian Fleet Safety Awards.

The Awards, run by global road safety charity Brake, recognise the achievement of those working to help reduce the number of road crashes involving at-work drivers in Australia and New Zealand.

Announced in Auckland last week, the Safe Vehicle Award was accepted by Hino New Zealand General Manager Darren Salt.

"Safety was the centrepiece of the development of the 500 Series Wide Cab, and we are proud that it sets a benchmark for the category, so this recognition of that approach is appreciated,” he said.

According to the Brake Judging Panel, the Hino 500 Series Wide Cab was meritorious in moving the safety benchmark forward.

In presenting the award, the judges said: “The Safe Vehicle Award recognises organisations that have worked to improve the safety of their vehicles, whether through vehicle specification, technology and/or maintenance.

“This year's winner was the first to offer Vehicle Stability Control as standard on medium-sized trucks in Australia, helping to prevent loss of control and rollover crashes.

“They include safety features on their vehicles including ABS, anti-slip regulator and reversing cameras with night vision to increase vision.

“With rollover and loss of control a factor in a significant number of heavy vehicle crashes, it's pleasing to see features like VSC being implemented to help address these types of crashes.”