The last few weeks have been dangerous for Brisbane road users, with truck accidents wreaking havoc on motorways. Brisbane’s Inner City Highway was the scene of the latest incident on Monday 9 July, when a truck rollover halted traffic on the highway. This posted by https://news.ninemsn.com.auoutlines the incident:

Brisbane’s Inner City Bypass is closed near where the road splits towards the Clem 7 following a truck crash. Police say the truck rolled over in the outbound lane of the Clem 7, between Bowen Bridge Road and Lutwyche Road on ramp, Herston, in the early hours of Monday morning.

This crash follows another one that occurred on Thursday which involved a truck and car in a collision that claimed the life of one of the vehicle’s passengers. The incident was highlighted by www.Abc.net.auas follows:

Police are still unsure what caused a car and truck to collide on the Burnett Highway yesterday afternoon, killing a 53-year-old South Toowoomba man. Police says the man was driving in the car with two passengers about 10 kilometres south of Gayndah just before 2:30pm (AEST) when the crash occurred. One passenger, a 14-year-old boy, was airlifted to Brisbane and is in a stable condition, while the other passenger, a 57-year-old woman, suffered minor injuries. The 49-year-old male truck driver also suffered minor injuries and was taken to Gayndah Hospital. Investigations are continuing. Meanwhile, a major thoroughfare in Gatton closed this morning after a truck rollover. The crash happened about 5:00am – the driver of the truck received only minor injuries. Both lanes of Eastern Drive closed while the scene was cleared. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-05/police-probe-fatal-burnett-highway-crash/4111830

While this incident caused massive hold ups and inconvenience for other road users, the real hassle is the loss of life. Australians should question why truck accidents are abounding on Brisbane’s roads lately. Below we list some of the main causes of truck crashes which were highlighted by the recent Austrans operation by authorities.

• Drug offences: Austrans identified a number of drivers driving under the influence of narcotics or in possession of illegal drugs. Truck drivers use drugs as stimulants for occupational reasons and this behaviour is relatively easily remedied. For example stopping at rest areas and taking power naps are an alternative that can reduce sleep fatigue and thereby lower the risk of crashing.

Although drivers take drugs to combat the problem of fatigue, there is no way of drivers knowing how the drug will affect your driving until it’s too late. Drugs alter a person’s normal healthy functioning of their body and mind and this can have a negative effect on their driving.  Drugs alter a person’s physical skills such as their reaction times, co-ordination and vehicle control, as well as affecting their mood, perception, information processing and risk taking behaviour. Being intoxicated or drugged significantly increases the chances of an accident.

• Seatbelt offences: Some drivers cite comfort as a reason to not wear seatbelts, but they can save a life and should always be worn.
• Speeding offences: Speeding is still the biggest cause of crashes on our roads, with up to 40% of all accidents resulting from speeding. Speeding reduces the drivers ability to control the heavy vehicle and also makes the impact of a crash much greater. Because of the size of trucks they take longer to brake and speeding can contribute to a number of crashes, rollovers, collisions etc. Trucks with trailers are even more susceptible to incidents when speeding.
• Mobile phone offences: Driving a heavy vehicle requires constant awareness, alertness and concentration. Drivers should not attempt to control the vehicle and chat on the phone at the same time.
• Unlicensed drivers: If you are unlicensed it means you do not have the appropriate knowledge and skill to successfully operate a truck on the road, so don’t take any chances. If you are caught or worse if you cause an accident you will be held responsible.
• Fatigue related offences: This is a major factor among truck driving offences. Because truckies are attempting to make more money they will drive long hours even while fatigued, skip breaks and even take longer shifts that necessary. Some, in fear of losing their jobs are merely attempting to make the unrealistic time lines set for them.
• Chain of responsibility offences by company owners, operators and consigners