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Apr 15, 2015

TRUCKING INDUSTRY SAFETY * Australia: As major crash report shows, fatigue features in highly in crash stats

* ACT - NTI in a safery call to motorists and industry

(Picture by Attila Szilvasi/The Sunday Telegraph: Cement truck crashes into petrol station, Pacific Highway, Chatswood)
 -- Leading truck insurer National Transport Insurance (NTI) has urged the holidaying public to increase its vigilance on roads over the Easter holiday break and the trucking industry to be alert too... Backing the message up, NTI highlights the findings of the company’s 2015 Major Accident Investigation Report that shows half of all major truck crashes occur on highways... The NTI’s accident report, compiled by its National Truck Accident Research Centre (NTARC), looks into 549 major crash incidents involving the large trucks it insures, with a combined cost of $71.7 million... NTI CEO Tony Clark, has particular concerns about: "Fatigue, inappropriate overtaking, lack of visibility through over-loading, and underestimating the road conditions are a dangerous mix during holiday periods, so please take extra care this Easter if you’re on the roads" ...  He recommends motorists keep in mind four tips when sharing the road with trucks this Easter: 

° Don’t cut in: Trucks are heavier than cars, so need more space when stopping. For example, at 100km/h a truck needs an extra 30m to come to a stop compared to a car travelling at the same speed. 
° Give trucks room to turn: Some trucks need extra room at corners, intersections and roundabouts. Trucks over 7.5m must carry a sign saying "Do Not Overtake Turning Vehicle". This means the truck can legally use two lanes to make their turn, and may need to turn left across your path to turn left. 
° Be aware of blind spots: Remember – if you can’t see the driver’s mirrors, he/she can’t see you! 
° Overtake with care: It takes about 25 seconds to overtake a prime mover on the open road. That’s a long time if you’re on the wrong side of the road – and even longer if the truck is a B-Double or B-Triple. Make sure you have the time and clear visibility. 

... Report's some key stats include: 

* Inappropriate speed for the conditions continued to be the leading cause of serious accidents at 27 per cent, with 73.6 per cent of speed losses resulting in a rollover. 
* Fatigue related accidents increased to 12.8 per cent — the worst result since 2007. Western Australia has the highest proportion of major crashed due to fatigue at 30 per cent 
* Truck fires continued to account for 10.7 per cent of large loss incidents with electrical failure accounting for 68.5 per cent of cabin/engine compartment fires. 
* The worst performing state was Queensland, followed by Western Australia, while Victoria was the best. 
* Reported large losses occurring during an outward journey stands at 67 per cent.


(Picture: The truck crash on Hume Hwy near Ingleburn where one truck veered off the southbound road)
... The Pacific and Hume Highways in NSW were the worst performing highways. Queensland’s Bruce Highway showed some improvement... While the basic figures remain worrying, the report notes the trend reflects "one-third less major crash incidents across the decade [since the first report], and demonstrates a strong result on road safety"... 
Canberra, Australia Capital Territory, Australia - ATN - 1 April 2015


 * NSW - Authorities dismayed with results of Operation Containment

-- Officers from Roads and Marine Services (RMS) and New South Wales Police have reported "shocking" results from a five-day compliance operation across Sydney... Through "Operation Containment", the joint taskforce inspected almost 700 heavy vehicles at Wetherill Park and Botany, and found hundreds of causes for concern. Eleven trucks were grounded on the spot, while a further 12 were issued fines for weight breaches... Thirteen trucks were given formal warnings to attend to potential maintenance problems... There were also a significant number of other instances of poorly loaded or secured cargoes. Some 135 of the trucks inspected had their loads adjusted, and 286 had minor defects for load restraint... The operation also uncovered eight instances of speed limiter tampering, including one truck whose limiter had been adjusted to allow it to drive at up to 150 km/hr...
(Picture: NSW compliance officials shocked by maintenance and loading issues. Authorities grounded 11 trucks on the spot, including this one which had items protruding from the side of the load) -- Sydney, NSW, australia - ATN, by Paul Howell - 16 March 2015

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1 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

"Raghavendra Deshpande! said: "Live vehicle tracking for over speeding, sharp cornering will come handy in avoiding such mishaps. Advanced technologies such as Tire pressure & Tire temperature build up detection and immediate control will help a lot to avoid accidents"

2:29 AM  

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