The Australian Trucking Association’s Safety Truck arrived in Kewdale last week to start an eight-week tour through WA, visiting metropolitan and country locations.
Visitors to the Safety Truck are able to sit in the prime mover cab and benefit from the truck driver’s perspective.
“Truckies top tips such as not cutting in front of trucks, not overtaking turning trucks, and avoiding truck blind spots then have an immediate and lasting effect,” driver Glen Schmidtke said.
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READ NOWHe said many young drivers were not specifically taught how to drive safely around heavy vehicles.
“It’s not included in your L or P plate tests,” he said.
“Likewise you can hook up and tow a caravan without any additional training requirement on how to manage the increased load alongside other vehicles and especially on roads used by heavy vehicles.
“With WA home to some very big trucking combinations, and the largest number of registered caravans and camper trailers per capita, the skill-set is more important than ever.”
WA Road Safety Commissioner Kim Papalia welcomed the Safety Truck initiative.
“This is a great opportunity for general road users to gain an understanding of the length of heavy haulage vehicles and their braking capacity,” Mr Papalia said.
The visit has been supported by the WA State Government Community Road Safety Grants Program, the RAC and Transafe WA.