Scania has partnered with the Australian Road Safety Foundation (ARSF) in order to amplify road safety messaging – particularly around the on-road engagement with heavy vehicles around the country.
Part of the collaboration will also involve Scania sponsoring a new annual road safety award with a focus on heavy commercial vehicles.
Over 1300 people were killed on Australia’s roads in 2024, which is a marked increase from the 1258 fatalities seen in 2023.
Australia is signed onto a ‘Vision Zero’ goal of zero road deaths by 2050, which includes a commitment to a 50 per cent reduction on 2021’s fatality and serious injury totals by 2030.
2025 is already shaping up as another record-breaking year for deaths on Australian roads, with 42 lives lost in Victoria to midnight 13 February, a 31.2 per cent increase on the state’s 2024 year-to-date total.
ARSF Founder and Chair Russell White says the partnership with Scania will help build a positive culture of road safety awareness in light and heavy vehicles.
“Heavy vehicles are essential to our transport network, and increasing awareness of how all road users can safety interact with trucks and buses is crucial to making our roads safer for everyone,” White says.
“Every life lost on our roads is one too many. By working together with industry leaders like Scania, we can meaningfully shift behaviours, educate road users, and ultimately save lives.
“This partnership not only amplifies vital road safety messaging but will also drive safety-first initiatives within the heavy vehicle industry – helping to inspire innovation and leadership in this space.”
Managing Director of Scania Australia Manfred Streit says continued collaboration amongst the heavy vehicle sector is important to promote road safety for all road users.
“Safety is our first choice at Scania,” Streit says. “Everything we do, from designing our trucks and buses, to the way we act in our company-owned workshops, is focused on promoting safe outcomes and avoiding injury.
“We are proud to join with ARSF to help generate greater understanding of how all road users can more safely interact with trucks and buses, as well as how drivers of heavy vehicles can take greater care to avoid vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.
“Trucks and buses are heavy vehicles and require more space, time and braking effort to bring to a standstill, and this is why heavy vehicle drivers leave a good deal of space between themselves and the cars in front of their vehicle. This isn’t an invitation for a car driver in a hurry to dive into this space.
“We look forward to a fruitful relationship with ARSF and hope we can in a meaningful way help to reduce the Australian road death toll as well as serious injuries incurred due to heavy vehicle accidents. 1300 annual road fatalities are too many.”
The new heavy vehicle award bearing Scania’s name will be presented at Parliament House in Canberra every year.
“By sponsoring the heavy vehicle award at the annual event held at Parliament House in Canberra we look forward to recognising programmes designed to elevate road safety in the heavy vehicle industry,” Streit says.
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