The VTA has come out and commented on the recently released National Road Safety Action Plan
The Victorian Transport Association (VTA) has welcomed a plan agreed by Australian, state and territory road and transport ministers to support the shared goal of reducing road trauma across Australia.
“The National Road Safety Action Plan for the National Road Safety Strategy focuses on delivering tangible actions, clear responsibilities and timeframes, with consistency between the Strategy and Action Plan,” VTA CEO Peter Anderson says.
“The VTA acknowledges and congratulates transport and infrastructure minister Catherine King, as well as assistant minister Carol Brown for announcing a plan that sets out actions the federal and state governments will take to implement priority areas in the National Road Safety Strategy over the next three years.”
Anderson says the plan is a natural complement to the safety initiatives that responsible freight operators were enshrining in their businesses to improve workplace health and safety for workers.
“The cab of a heavy vehicle is the workplace for drivers hard at work every day and night all over Australia,” Anderson says.
“We share the government’s ‘Vision Zero’ for no deaths or serious injuries on our roads by 2050 and freight operators have an important role to play in making roads and workplaces safer for their workers and all motorists on the roads.
“As an industry group we look forward to working with federal, state and local governments, and in partnership with our members and associate members, on strategies and tactics to improve road safety,” Anderson says.
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The Action Plan was developed after extensive consultation between the federal, state and territory governments, the Australian Local Government Association and other road safety stakeholders.
It recognises the importance of robust road safety data, committing the Australian, state and territory governments to developing a National Road Safety Data Collection and Reporting Framework.
The plan also includes the development of a National Research Framework to improve coordination, test new concepts and ideas, develop best-practice approaches and consider emerging issues.
This process will commence with a review into the research, funded by the federal government, which is currently being undertaking by institutions across the country. An annual progress report against the Action Plan will be provided to infrastructure and transport ministers and publicly released each year, providing transparency on the road safety activities of all governments.
Actions the government will take in delivering the plan include improving regional and remote road safety through targeted road safety infrastructure programs, progressing the uptake of new vehicle safety features and technologies through new Australian Design Rules and building and upgrading heavy vehicle rest areas.