Latest edition includes details on nine new technologies that can potentially improve road safety
The NSW Centre for Road Safety has published the third edition of Safety Technologies for Heavy Vehicles and Combinations.
Targeting the heavy vehicle industry, the latest edition includes details on nine new technologies:
- autonomous reverse braking
- anti-jack knife braking
- wheel nuts
- emergency stop lights
- seat belts in buses
- rollover side curtain airbags
- tipper safety systems
- fresnel lens and mirrors.
Centre for Road Safety executive director Bernard Carlon says adoption of new technologies and more modern vehicles can improve road safety.
New higher productivity vehicles such as A-doubles often already use many of these safety technologies and even though the size of these vehicles result in less number of trips to move the freight, heavy vehicle safety continues to be a serious issue in NSW, Carlon says.
“Heavy vehicles are involved in around 18 per cent of all road fatalities despite only making up 2.4 per cent of registered vehicles on the roads,” he says.
“From 2008 to 2016 while the overall road toll in NSW has been trending downwards, the number of heavy vehicle involved in fatalities has remained unchanged.
“Despite these figures, it’s important to remember that this does not mean heavy vehicles are always the vehicle at fault, however their size and mass make any crash a serious one.
“The new technologies featured in this latest edition have the potential to save lives – for example, research suggests that Autonomous Emergency Braking can prevent around 25 per cent of fatal heavy vehicle crashes.
“More than half of those featured can be retrofitted, and while some come at a cost, most are very inexpensive and practical to install.
“Many also have the additional bonus of improving driver and passenger comfort.”
Carlon says these new technologies can help reduce road trauma.
“Operators also benefit from these enhanced technologies – vehicles that are safer, easier to operate and more comfortable, help attract and keep drivers.”
For more details, visit the Centre for Road Safety website.