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ATA shares road safety tips for holiday season

The message is part of ATA’s animated ‘Safety Truck’ video series

 

Ahead of a busy road season, the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) shares a holiday safety message for all road users to help make the holidays happy and safe for all.

Christmas and New Year is the busiest time for the trucking industry and, with many people travelling for leisure, it makes up the busiest period for road travel.

Thus making it all the more important to be mindful of road safety rules.

ATA CEO Christopher Melham urges business owners to take extra care during scheduling, keeping in mind the additional vehicles on the roads and to “make sure your driver schedules have plenty of time to account for heavy traffic conditions”.

“We remind professional drivers to be patient and share the road safely – with many people driving unfamiliar roads or towing a boat or caravan for the first time all year, it’s particularly important to watch out for other motorists and leave plenty of space between you and the vehicle in front,” Melham says.

He warns that fatigue management is crucial to ensure safety and hence drivers must “stick to the speed limit and avoid driving when tired”.

“Share the trip with another qualified driver, and pull over for breaks when you need them,” Melham says.

The message is part of ATA’s animated ‘Safety Truck’ video series, which outlines some practical road tips from truck drivers.

Some tips for motorists:

  1. Stay out of heavy vehicle blind spots. If you sit in the blind spots immediately behind a truck or close to the left passenger door, the driver may not know you are there. Cutting in front of a truck can also put you in the forward blind spot.
          
  2. Don’t cut in front of trucks as they slow for traffic lights or when you’re out on the highway. A truck needs a greater distance to stop than you expect, because they are much heavier than cars.
          
  3. Don’t overtake trucks when they are turning. Trucks often need to turn from the centre lane at intersections and corners, so stay well back.

 

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