STAYSAFE 15: FROM THE JOINT STANDING COMMITTEE UPON ROAD SAFETY: ALERT DRIVERS, AND SAFE SPEEDS FOR HEAVY VEHICLES

In this report, its first on heavy vehicle safety, STAYSAFE draws attention to the immense casualty costs arising from some heavy vehicle operations in NSW. Articulated trucks, in particular, were each found to be averaging around $23,000 of casualty costs/ year, when operated 300,000 km/year, which is not unusual. Speed and fatigue are large contributors to these immense costs. STAYSAFE does not agree with those who hope to solve the heavy vehicle crash problem by increasing police enforcement. We simply cannot afford the saturation enforcement that would be necessary to bring the whole industry to a satisfactory standard of behaviour. But automatic equipment is affordable and justified, and should be introduced as quickly as possible. STAYSAFE has concluded that substantial and worthwhile savings of casualties will flow from requirements to make the heavier vehicles incapable of more than 105 km/h, and to require that certain classes of vehicles, travelling long distances, be fitted with vehicle monitors as well as speed limiters. Other recommendations, concerning police activities, driving hours, roadside conditions, drugs and tailgating are also made. Intercapital road freight is escalating at about 8 per cent/ year in Australia. It is therefore especially important that the industry and the Governments grasp the nettle and introduce a package of measures which will terminate the widespread disgraceful behaviour, once and for all.

• Corporate Authors:

  Parliament of New South Wales

  Parliament House, 6 MacQuarie Street
  Sydney, New South Wales  Australia  2000
• Publication Date: 1989-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 37 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Classification; Costs; Crash rates; Crashes; Crimes; Drivers; Fatigue (Physiological condition); Freight transportation; Hazards; Heavy vehicles; Industries; Injuries; Injury severity; Law enforcement; Measuring instruments; Penalties; Police; Safety; Speed; Time
• Geographic Terms: Australia
• ITRD Terms: 1643: Accident; 1612: Accident rate; 6155: Apparatus (measuring); 8006: Australia; 9001: Behaviour; 8513: Classification; 224: Cost; 1772: Driver; 1534: Enforcement (law); 2222: Fatigue (human); 741: Goods traffic; 332: Industry; 2163: Injury; 1236: Lorry; 1516: Offence; 1502: Penalty; 1522: Police; 9150: Risk; 1665: Safety; 1623: Severity (accid, injury); 5408: Speed; 5414: Time
• Subject Areas: Finance; Freight Transportation; Law; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00498220
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Files: ITRD, TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Sep 30 1990 12:00AM