Kids pedal car track part of new look on display at the Newcastle Road Transport Awareness Day
November 5, 2013
The Australian Trucking Association’s new-look Safety Truck had its first public outing at the Newcastle Road Transport Awareness Day on the weekend.
The truck is an upgrade of the ATA’s Road Ahead safety exhibition, which the ATA says has delivered the industry’s safety messages to more than 70,000 people since its launch in 2008.
ATA Corporate Relations Manager Steve Power says the upgrade includes new artwork, new displays and a pedal car track.
“Kids really get into the pedal car track,” Power says.
“It’s a fun way to teach basic road safety lessons like stopping at stop signs and following one-way arrows.”
Inside the exhibit trailer children and adults can use customised road safety apps and earn a ‘Safety Truck licence’ by completing every level.
The Safety Truck also features animated videos that illustrate the ATA’s top tips for sharing the road safely with trucks, including the dangers of cutting in front of heavy vehicles; where the blind spots are on a truck; and why heavy vehicles need plenty of space when turning.
Newcastle Road Transport Awareness Day Chairman Tony McGrath says the Safety Truck was a great success.
“It was very popular, and the kids absolutely loved it,” McGrath says.
The ATA donated all funds raised on the day to the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.
ATA CEO Stuart St Clair says the updated exhibition will give the trucking industry more opportunities to interact with local communities across Australia and that it will have a heavy schedule in 2014.
“It will be at the 2014 International Truck, Trailer and Equipment Show in April and the Bathurst 1000 in October,” St Clair says.
“During the rest of the year, it will support local government road safety education programs and community events like the Newcastle Road Transport Awareness Day.”
