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The third edition of the NSW Centre for Road Safety’s Safety Technologies for Heavy Vehicles and Combinations, was released on the 28 July 2017 for industry members and heavy vehicle operators.
According to Transport for NSW, the new edition includes details on nine new technologies - autonomous reverse braking; anti jack-knife braking; wheel nuts; emergency stop lights; seat belts in buses; rollover side curtain airbags; tipper safety systems; fresnel lens and mirrors.
Centre for Road Safety executive director Bernard Carlon said the adoption of new technologies and more modern vehicles will mean improved safety for drivers and a safer and more productive road environment for all.
“New higher productivity vehicles such as A-doubles often already use many of these safety technologies,” Carlon said.
“Although the size of these vehicles mean less trips are needed to move the same amount of freight, heavy vehicle safety remains a serious issue in NSW.”
Carlon suggests that heavy vehicles are involved in around 18% of all road fatalities despite only making up 2.4% of registered vehicles on the roads.”
“From 2008 to 2016 while the overall road toll in NSW has been trending downwards, the number of heavy vehicles involved in fatalities has remained unchanged.”
“Despite these figures, it’s important to remember that this does not mean heavy vehicles are always the vehicle at fault, however their size and mass make any crash a serious one,” Carlon said.
“The new technologies featured in this latest edition have the potential to save lives - for example, research suggests that Autonomous Emergency Braking can prevent around 25% of fatal heavy vehicle crashes.
“More than half of those featured can be retrofitted, and while some come at a cost, most are very inexpensive and practical to install.”
“Many also have the additional bonus of improving driver and passenger comfort,” Carlon said adding that operators also benefit from these enhanced technologies.
“Vehicles that are safer, easier to operate and more comfortable, help attract and keep drivers. These technologies can help to reduce road trauma and new technologies may help save a life.”