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Truck lights campaign underway in Gippsland

VicRoads and south-eastern Victorian industry launche safety initiative after spate of crashes

Truck drivers in Victoria’s south-east are advised to turn their lights on in a bid to boost safety on roads as part of an awareness program.

The 10-week long campaign was launched by VicRoads and the transport industry in Gippsland yesterday to reduce crashes involving cars and trucks.

Around 16 per cent of crashes that occurred in Victoria last year happened in the region, with 17 accidents recorded between January 16 and March 31.

Gippsland’s trucking industry has now come together to make trucks more visible on roads, VicRoads Eastern Region Safety Coordinator Alan Pincott says.

The campaign will not only remind drivers of past accidents when switching their lights on but will also make their trucks stand out, he adds.

“The transport industry in Gippsland has done a fantastic job out here but we have seen a bit of an emerging trend in the last two years where more collisions at intersections and straight stretches of roads [have occurred],” Pincott told ABC Melbourne radio.

“At this stage we’ll go local and see how we go – we really have to get out there and drive that message to the average road user what’s going on and try to work together as a community to try and overcome this problem.”

Those who have been turning their lights on in the past year have already noticed a positive change amongst other drivers, he adds.

“We’ll be going for driver feedback as well [at the end of campaign] and see how many near-misses they’re having and how they feel on the road.

“If we do have a fair reduction, we’ll certainly be celebrating that.”

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