Dashcam footage showing dangerous driving manoeuvres on Taranaki roads is revealing what many of the region’s truck drivers are putting up with on a daily basis.
Advocacy group BeSafe Taranaki has released a video with a number of clips featuring near misses in an effort to shine a light on road safety and remind everyone to be patient on the road.
The footage was taken from the cabs of New Plymouth-based trucking company Symons Group.
Lois Eggers of BeSafe Taranaki and Road Safe Taranaki told the NZ Herald the video was designed as a wake-up call for motorists and as a training tool for commercial drivers.
“All our membership recognises when it comes to health and safety they control a lot of what goes on their sites but not when their people get out on the roads.
“Our roads here in Taranaki are not at their very best and there are a lot of difficult driving conditions and we wanted to put something out there to raise awareness.”
Symons Group has been very active in sharing its dashcam footage to raise more awareness around road safety.
Speaking to TransportTalk, group general manager Dean Eggers says the in-cab technology is helping spread the message.
“There’s been massive engagement by the public and it’s positive so I guess that makes us more proactive.”
He says the shocking footage is a reflection of the “frustration levels” on the roads and this could also be a result of poor road maintenance.
“A run from New Plymouth to Otorohanga is currently is taking 30-45 minutes longer than it should during daylight hours due to endless stop/goes … frustration grows as does stupidity,” he says.
