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RACQ campaign makes plea for understanding

A new video has called for the public to be aware of the realities of heavy vehicles

 

Queensland motoring organisation RACQ has created an appealing video that would hit home for many in the trucking industry – calling on car drivers to respect the realities of driving heavy vehicles.

The video, available below, comes in response to the latest figures in the state showing an over-representation of fatalities involving heavy vehicles – incidents most often at no fault of the truck driver.

Featuring line haul driver Dwight Emerson from Simon National Carriers, the campaign video is being promoted as part of Queensland Road Safety Week’s ‘share the road’ message.

A 27-year veteran behind the wheel, Emerson says the highlights of his job are the chances to see new places and haul difference kinds of freight but life on the road means spending time with car drivers, who he says often “do not appreciate the blind spots on a big vehicle [and] the extra stopping distance we need.”

“It’s for the car driver’s own safety that they give us space,” he says.

“You see them doing risky maneuverers to save a couple of seconds, they don’t realise that trying to gain that couple of seconds could cost them their life.”

Alongside appealing to the motorists’ common sense, the RACQ video also features an emotional appeal for drivers to consider the impact an incident can have on all involved – not just themselves.

“If something goes wrong, and I’m involved, I have to deal with the consequences of it,” Emerson says.

“I’m not physically injured but it’s still something that will be with you for the rest of your life.”

 

 

Calling on drivers to slow down around trucks and consider the differences between the vehicles, RACQ head of technical and safety Steve Spalding says over 24 people have died already this year in crashes with heavy vehicles.

“Last year, heavy vehicles accounted for less than three per cent of all vehicles registered in our state and yet they represented more than 20 per cent of all road fatalities (49 deaths),” Spalding says.

“This year, unfortunately the trend isn’t improving so it’s important to educate motorists about how to properly share the road with trucks.

“This message is particularly important for drivers in regional areas where large trucks frequent our roads and highways.”

Backing the campaign, Queensland Trucking Association CEO Gary Mahon says it is all about awareness.

“Trucks handle differently and they take longer to stop once the driver hits the brakes,” Mahon says.

“Car drivers need to slow down and ensure they can see a truck’s mirrors.

“That way they’ll know the truck driver can see them.”

The video is available to watch above.

 

 

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