A ‘share the road safely’ communications campaign must be a priority in the Australian Government’s 2017-18 Budget, the Chair of the Australian Trucking Association, Noelene Watson, said today.
Mrs Watson was releasing the ATA’s pre-budget submission for 2017-18.
“In its 2015 major accident investigation report, Australia’s leading truck insurer, NTI, concluded that the truck was not at fault in 84 per cent of the fatal multi-vehicle accidents involving trucks that it considered,” Mrs Watson said.
“There is a critical need for a safety communication campaign to educate motorists to share the road safely, by staying out of truck blind spots, not cutting in front of trucks and not overtaking trucks when they are turning.
“After it abolished the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal, the Government allocated $3.9 million per year to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator for truck safety measures that would actually make a difference to safety.
“We say that some of the funding in 2017-18 should be allocated to this share the road safely campaign.
“The Government should also allocate an appropriate share of the funding to WA and the NT. The NHVR is not responsible for heavy vehicle regulation in those states.”
Mrs Watson said the 2017-18 Budget was also an opportunity for the Government to build on its commitment to road safety investment.
“The Coalition was re-elected in 2016 with a commitment to maintain funding from 2019-20 onwards for critical road safety investment programs like the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program, Roads to Recovery and the Black Spot Program,” she said.
“The Coalition now needs to deliver on this commitment.”
Mrs Watson said the proposed budget measures were part of the ATA’s lobbying for practical, evidence-based measures to reduce the road toll.
“If the TWU actually wants to improve road safety and get accountability at the top of the supply chain, as it claims, it should join the ATA in supporting these measures, which also need to include:
- the reforms to the truck chain of responsibility laws, which will now include a strong general safety duty. The reforms will extend chain of responsibility to vehicle maintenance and roadworthiness, and massively increase maximum penalties for the most serious cases to bring them into line with the other national safety laws. The reforms will come into effect in the HVNL states in the first part of 2018. The TWU couldn’t even be bothered making a submission to the parliamentary inquiry into the laws.
- supporting research by sleep scientists into the effects of the regulated work and rest hours for truck drivers. The TWU was invited to join the steering committee for this research, but refused.
- lobbying the Australian Government to mandate EBS truck and trailer stability control technology from new model and then new trucks and trailers.”