The message of sharing the road safely with trucks is being taken to school leavers over the coming weeks, with Easter Group helping to spread the word.
Sporting a freshly wrapped trailer by Fleetmark Group, adorned with the words ‘Don’t #uck With A Truck’ as part of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s safety campaign (NHVR), the Easter Group rig headed to a festival on the Gold Coast last night.
“To all those freshly licensed or about to be; please be careful and mindful of where you might position your car on the road when driving around a heavy vehicle so as to not be in a blind spot,” Easter Group said.
A recent study by the NHVR surveyed 1000 drivers aged 16-25 across Australia and highlighted the disconnect between young drivers’ self-assessed confidence and their actual comfort level sharing the road with heavy vehicles.
The survey revealed that while young drivers believed they understood how to safely share the road with heavy vehicles, just 29 per cent felt very knowledgeable about the rules.
Almost two-thirds of those surveyed agreed they wanted more information about increasing their safety when sharing the road with trucks.
“Our studies show many young drivers experience anxiety or nervousness driving near heavy vehicles, and with our road toll only continuing to rise, this is a huge cause for concern,” said NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto OAM.
“Typically, around 70 per cent of serious incidents involving both heavy and light vehicles are the fault of the light vehicle, highlighting the need for greater education, and this education starts with our young drivers.”
School leavers are being given the opportunity to go inside the trailer and take part in a virtual reality experience, with giveaways and other learning opportunities aimed at helping them feel more comfortable sharing the road with trucks.