The Queensland government has revealed a Heavy Vehicle Safety Action Plan 2016-2018 which covers 31 initiatives to reduce heavy vehicle crashes. The plan focusses on the course of action for the next 2 years to reduce heavy vehicle related accidents. The safety plan was created by the Heavy Vehicle Safety Working Group of the Ministerial Freight Council. The safety plan encompasses 31 initiatives covering local roads, vehicles, speed, fatigue management, seatbelts and driver distractions. The Heavy Vehicle Safety Working Group is chaired by Queensland Transport Association CEO Peter Garske. The group is made up of members of the department of transport and main roads, the Queensland police, Workplace Health & Safety Queensland, and heavy vehicle industry members from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator. Queensland main roads and road safety minister Mark Bailey had this to say about the initiative,

“In 2015, heavy vehicles accounted for about 2.3 per cent of all registered vehicles in Queensland, but were involved in 20.2 per cent of all road fatalities,” Bailey says.  “When you add a heavy vehicle into the equation, the size and mass of the vehicle means the outcome is more likely to be tragic. “In 2015, there were 49 lives lost, and hundreds of people were seriously injured as a result of heavy vehicle involvement in crashes.” Source: http://www.fullyloaded.com.au

One of the key actions outlined by the plan is auditing of rest areas across the state to identify whether they require improvements to facilitate heavy vehicle drivers taking rest opportunities. This is important in order for drivers to comply with fatigue management laws. There will also be a greater focus on safe road user behaviour from the heavy vehicle industry, which may result in companies including clauses in its drivers’ contracts. The use of seatbelts by drivers are another major focus, particularly identifying why some drivers aren’t wearing seatbelts and how their mindsets can be changed. The group will monitoring the progress of the plan, in the short and medium term, and every 6 months progress reports will be generated. The 31 initiatives to be addressed over the two-year period will include: Roads,

• Simplify road assessment guidelines

• Performance Based Standards route audit between Port of Brisbane and Toowoomba

• Develop a ‘toolbox’ for road owners/managers for assessing routes for High Productivity Vehicles

• Continue the roll out of wide centre line treatment on the Bruce Highway and other state-controlled roads

• Determine whether particular road features have a higher incidence of heavy vehicle crashes

• Investigate the need for additional emergency stopping bays

Source: http://www.fullyloaded.com.au/industry-news/1602/new-heavy-vehicle-safety-plan-for-queensland/

Other initiatives focus on vehicles, fatigue management, seatbelts and speed. The initiatives related to speed include:

• Investigate opportunities for data exchange with stakeholders to assist with enforcement and compliance activities

• Promote the use of guidelines and other documents where there is a road safety benefit

• Encourage safe road user behaviours for drivers in commercial contracts

• Investigate technologies for detecting speed limiter tampering.

• Issue warning letters to operators whose vehicles are detected exceeding the speed limit by more than 15km/h using telematics

Source: http://www.fullyloaded.com.au/industry-news/1602/new-heavy-vehicle-safety-plan-for-queensland/

Initiatives around safer road users include promoting the introduction of company drug policies, adopting the WHSQ Framework for alcohol and drug management in the workplace, expanding the Queensland Police Service roadside drug testing program and providing employees with information on the effects of distracting technologies like mobile phones.