“Road to Respect” campaign in Victoria The launch of a new campaign in Victoria is aimed at creating awareness among drivers of the need to safely share the road with truckies. The name of the campaign is “Road to Respect” and will continue until the 4^th of November this year. It will include an exhibition to educate the public, in the form of an interactive trailer about the need for trucks and cars to peacefully coexist. Some motorists drive badly around trucks and are not aware that trucks operate differently to cars. For example many drivers are impatient and overtake trucks when it is not safe to do so. Some car drivers are not aware of the time it takes for a truck to slow down as compared to a car and cutting in front of a truck can be dangerous because the braking system is different to that of a car. These are just some of the dangerous behaviour that drivers exhibit in the presence of trucks. Fullyloaded.com highlighted the Campaign on the website recently:

VTA CEO Neil Chambers says VTA members and truck drivers are constantly concerned about the behaviour of some motorists around trucks. “This campaign is designed to address those concerns, including imparting a better understanding of the physical aspects of heavy vehicles, like braking distances, blind spots and the need to afford trucks the necessary space to turn,” Chambers says. The trailer will visit regional Victoria during the campaign, and Chambers says he hopes the initiative will have a positive impact on road safety. “The majority of accidents involving trucks and other vehicles are caused by the other road vehicle unfortunately on too many occasions with deadly consequences,” he says. “Everyone needs to give a thought to truck drivers. The road is their workplace, and improving driving behaviours by all road users will mean that truck drivers can get home less stressed and, more importantly, safely.” Source: https://www.fullyloaded.com.au/industry-news/1209/victoria-launches-road-to-respect-campaign

If drivers forget everything else, one thing they should always do is give trucks enough space on the road. Trucks need much more space than cars. This is because truck blow outs occur often and if you are near it when it happens the crash can be compounded. Also truck drivers have more blindspots than regular cars which is why they may not see you sometimes. The sheer size of most trucks and trailers mean that they require more space to manoeuvre. Crashes involving trucks and cars never come out good for the cars, which are tiny in comparison to most trucks. Also trucks can be pushed by the wind, because they present such a large surface area. This can result in the truck veering into your line if you are adjacent to it. Also if a truck wants to turn it is probably going to require 2 lanes. So stay clear of the heavy vehicle as much as possible and most importantly have patience because you could cause a potentially deadly crash and if you are in a car your chances of surviving are slim.