Dr Kim Hassall from CILTA has welcomed the strategy but mentioned that one key aspect is missing
The national chair of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Australia (CILTA) Dr Kim Hassall has responded to the federal government’s National Road Safety Strategy and mentioned one aspect the strategy avoids.
Yesterday the Australian Road Safety Foundation (ARFS) welcomed the plan and its list of priorities to address the road toll.
However Hassall says the strategy misses one key aspect that could benefit many operators around Australia.
“A possible gem, missed from a host of well thought out safety strategies, was the omission of the continued rollout of the PBS high productivity vehicle scheme,” Hassall told ATN.
“Just over the past five years, the population growth has averaged just under 20 per cent per annum and the forecast fatality savings from 2023 to 2033 is 109 lives.
“These savings will be delivered through the millions of kilometres saved through the use of these vehicles, as well as the higher engineering standards and the matching of HPVs to the appropriate road network.”
Hassall says greater access to PBS can possibly deliver even bigger benefits.
“Recent analysis has shown that counter to the perception that HPVs are monster trucks roaming regional and remote areas, some 51 per cent of them operate in peri-urban environments,” Hassall says.
“The world should seriously consider the urban side of HPV use and dismiss the idea that big is bad – in fact when it comes to the HPVs and the PBS scheme, big has proven to be better.”