Speed and fatigue biggest killers

National Transport Insurance recently presented its latest crash findings at the ATA’s Trucking Australia conference

Speed and fatigue continue to be the biggest factors behind major accidents involving heavy commercial vehicles, according to the latest accident analysis from major transport industry insurer, National Transport Insurance.

NTI presented its findings, summarised in the 36-page 2015 Major Accident Investigation Report, at the recent Australian Trucking Association’s Trucking Australia conference in Hobart, where author and NTI National Manager, Industry Relations, Owen Driscoll (pictured), brought delegates up to speed on the ever-changing face of heavy-vehicle accidents.

The research is based purely on NTI’s losses for the calendar year 2013, and as such examines a total of 549 accidents where the resulting claim totalled $50,000 or more. The accidents resulted in NTI making a total of $71.7 million in payouts.

Carried out by the National Truck Accident Research Centre (NTARC), a research body established by NTI over 10 years ago, the insurer says that as Australia’s predominant heavy-vehicle insurer the report represents an accurate account of the wider heavy-vehicle accident landscape.

NTI’s data shows that while the freight task has increased by 30 per cent since its first accident study in 2002, the incidence of serious crashes has in fact declined by 35 per cent, highlighting the continued improvement in vehicle safety technology and road construction, among other factors.

Inappropriate speed for the prevailing conditions continues to be a leading factor in serious heavy vehicle accidents, accounting for 27 per cent of claims, while 73.6 per cent of these claims resulted in a truck rollover.

Fatigue was the second-biggest contributing factor, accounting for 12.8 per cent of serious crashes, the figure also representing the worst result since 2007. Perhaps unsurprisingly given its vast distances, Western Australia had the highest proportion of fatigue-related accidents (30 per cent).

Queensland had the highest outright number of serious truck accidents in 2013, with 147, followed by New South Wales (124), Western Australia (110), Victoria (74), South Australia (50), Tasmania and the Northern Territory (eight each), and the ACT (two).

Truck fires continue to be a major contributing factor, accounting for 10.7 per cent of major NTI losses in 2013, while mechanical failures accounted for five per cent. The vast majority of mechanical failures (72 per cent) were attributed to tyre failure.

The early hours between 1.00am and 5.00am showed a heightened likelihood of an accident (fatigue a major factor here), as did the hours between 10.00am and 4.00pm, when traffic levels are at their highest.

The vast majority of serious accidents occurred on National Highway 1, with the Hume, Pacific, Great Northern, Warrego, Princes and Eyre Nullarbor Highways all featuring prominently.

The data showed that general freight accounted for the greatest risk of a serious accident, followed by the categories tippers/earthworks, empty, refrigerated and grain/fertilisers.

Semi-trailers continue to be the vehicle configuration most likely to be involved in a crash, significantly ahead of B-doubles, which in turn are followed closely by rigids and road trains.

Most crashes occurred within the first 250 kilometres, while drivers aged between 51 to 60 and 46 to 50 remained the most at risk.

Mr Driscoll, who is also NTARC’s National Director of Research and the Deputy Chairperson of the ATA’s TruckSafe safety accreditation program, said the report’s findings were of significant value to the broader heavy-vehicle safety agenda.

“This research is essential to having an in-depth understanding of accident causes and trends within the transport industry,” he said.

“In 2015, we have safer vehicles, safer speeds, safer roads and, generally, more responsible and safer behaviour. Nonetheless, heavy vehicle crash incidents continue to occur.”

To view the report for yourself, click
here.

Speed and fatigue biggest killers

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