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ATA calls for improved road safety

https://roadsonline.com.au/mix-telematics-wins-safety-award/

The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has submitted recommendations to reduce the amounts of fatalities on Australian roads to zero.

1225 people died on the road in 2017 and to see this number reduced the ATA have identified 19 recommendations for Australia’s next national road safety strategy. The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has submitted recommendations to reduce the amounts of fatalities on Australian roads to zero.

Investing in road safety infrastructure by using data gathered from road crash investigations and upgrading the road safety standards as a whole were methods highlighted to improve on the current target.

The report also outlines ways for infrastructure projects to ensure high safety standards by requiring project subcontractors to hold TruckSafe accreditation, or have other similarly robust safety systems.

The ATA have also urged the Australian Government to require the fitting of electronic stability control for all new trucks and trailers. The report also encourages the Transport and Infrastructure Council to update the Australian Transport Assessment and Planning guidelines to only use willingness to pay for estimating the cost of fatalities and injuries in accidents.

A towards zero philosophy is encouraged to set a long-term target. Extending the role of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau was also recommended to provide independent, no-blame, safety investigations for road accidents involving heavy vehicles.

Fatigue laws were also identified by the report as needing improvement in flexibility and realistic compliance tolerances. Governments were also urged to increase the quantity and quality of driver rest areas.

Education of new and current drivers on how to properly share the road with heavy vehicles was also marked by the report as an important step in reducing the road toll.


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