Trucksales Safety Award: The Winner

Safety is one of the biggest issues in our industry and it is being handled in many and varied ways. Sure, there are active and passive safety systems in trucks and there are rules and regulations that keep our drivers and other road users safe. But one of the biggest areas where we can address safety in the transport industry is education.

The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has gone about the issue of safety around trucks in a very novel way – the ATA has a fully equipped truck and trailer that travels around the country educating our young people about safety around trucks.

SafeT360 is an interactive custom-built road safety exhibition that uses virtual reality and interactive messaging all packed into a real travelling truck and trailer.

Visitors to the exhibition will leave understanding where a truck’s blind spots are, how long it takes a truck to stop, the dangers of distraction, and other tips about how to keep themselves and their loved ones safe around trucks.

Behind a gleaming black Volvo FH Globetrotter sits an equally black trailer with side and rear slide-outs, fold-out steps, and an interior that delivers a wealth of information about truck safety and what it’s like to be behind the wheel of one.

“We are excited to receive this award and be recognised for our work to educate 16 to 25-year-olds on sharing the road safely with trucks,” said Kayla O’Brien, Marketing and Engagement Co-ordinator of the SafeT360 program.

“The Australian Trucking Associating is very proud of the SafeT360 program, which has one clear goal – to save lives. Everyone has a role to play in road safety, and we will continue to educate drivers on truck blind spots, truck stopping times and the dangers of driving while distracted,” Ms O’Brien added.

The SafeT360 program has been around for a while now and many who have visited a truck show may well have seen it. Over the past two years the rolling education centre has undergone a massive revamp with a specific target audience in mind – 16 to 25-year-olds. Why? Well, there are two reasons.

The first is that this age group is the most over-represented group involved in crashes on our roads.

The second is that if that age group can be educated early in their driving careers with good, clear information, they are going to develop good driving habits, not only with regard to trucks, but also toward other road users, and that will hopefully stick with them.

And it’s for those reasons and more that we at Trucksales.com.au are proud to give our Safety Award for 2022 to the SafeT360 program.

Related reading:
Sitting on the inside with SafeT360
SafeT360 heads across the ditch
SafeT360 heading for Deni