Another tragedy has occurred on the Hume Highway, following the tragic crash in February that claimed the life of a young girl. The second incident claimed the life of a woman, whose peaceful Sunday afternoon turned into a nightmare when she was hit by a truck and died shortly after.

The father of the girl who died in February has since spoken out about the tragedy and the need for authorities to take action, to prevent more loss of life. The man has since begun campaigning for awareness of roadside hazards. He is also leading a petition to have emergency lanes widened.

The latest death occurred when the woman pulled over on the side of the road before getting out of her car and was hit by a passing truck.

This post by Illawarramercury.com.au has more:

• The father of a girl killed on the Hume Highway in February says a second fatal accident in the area yesterday is a tragic reminder of the need for changes to road safety laws.
• A woman, whose age has not been released, died after being hit by a semi-trailer about 4pm on Sunday.
• She had pulled over to the side of the road and was hit by the B-Double truck after stepping out of her vehicle. The truck was travelling north towards Sydney and collided with the woman near the intersection of Hume Highway and Golden Vale Rd at Sutton Forrest.
• Peter Frazer lost his daughter Sarah in a similar accident in February and has been campaigning for changes to rules around roadside hazards.
• ”The loss of this woman is yet another tragic reminder that when approaching a stationary vehicle, it is essential to slow down and if safe to do so, move over into an adjacent lane,” he said.
• Sarah Frazer, 23, and tow truck driver Geoff Clark, 40, were killed by a southbound truck on the highway south of Mittagong. Ms Frazer’s car had broken down and Mr Clark had stopped to help her.
• Mr Frazer started a petition in March and collected more than 12,000 signatures, calling for breakdown lanes to be widened to at least 2.5 metres. Mr Frazer also started a group called Safer Australian Roads and Highways, in memory of his daughter. A coronial report is being prepared about the latest incident.
• The truck driver involved in yesterday’s collision was immediately breath tested and did not give a positive reading of alcohol, police say. After assisting police, he began receiving counselling provided by his employer. The accident also caused significant traffic delays in both directions of the Hume Highway.

Source: https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/272294/woman-hit-by-truck-on-hume-highway/

These two incidents draw attention to an important issue that warrants attention in order to decrease the number of lives being lost. The large number of truck crashes in general means  that clearly more attention to safety is needed. But what is the real cause of all the accidents involving trucks?

The main cause of truck induced crashes on our roads have been identified by authorities as:

• Speeding and tampering with speed limiters
• Driving while fatigued
• Exceeding maximum daily driving hours
• Exceeding load and mass limitations
• Improperly restrained loads
• Vehicles that not properly maintained and serviced

The main issue,  claiming lives on our roads has been identified as speeding. Speeding is a particularly dangerous practice in the transport industry as heavy vehicles are able to cause enormous amounts of damage, even more so than ordinary vehicles if they should crash.

Speeding is also dangerous for passenger vehicles, but even more so on heavy vehicles because it increases the risk of crashing as well as the severity of the crash. Speeding also drastically increases the stopping distances needed to safely stop a problem compounded by the size of the heavy vehicle.

According to the chain of responsibility regulations, all parties involved in the supply chain are responsible for what happens in the chain and along the journey.  Chain of Responsibility Training can help in making members of the supply chain aware of their duties and responsibilities according to the law and also warn them of the consequences if they fail to comply.  Chain of responsibility training provides workers and employers with a valuable tool that can be used to empower and perhaps even save their life.