Lies, damn lies and statistics” is a phrase popularised by Mark Twain to describe the way numbers can be manipulated for the benefit of one’s own argument. It is also a good description of the position many of our industry’s opponents take once presented with evidence of the substantial safety improvements made by the sector over recent years.
No matter how you cut it, the story is a positive one. Major improvements in heavy-vehicle technology, including ABS braking and electronic stability control, safety improvements to the New Zealand road network, better driver education and the increasing professionalism of our drivers, have all contributed to a significant decrease in heavy-vehicle accidents over the last 20 years.
Truck-related fatal crashes dropped from 6.6 per 100 million kilometres in 1995 to 2.1 per 100 million kilometres in 2009, and truck-related fatal crashes are now just one-third the level they were in 1995.
Trucks were involved in 23% of all fatal crashes and 7% of all reported injuries in 2014, yet were only responsible for 35% of those fatal crashes.
The latest figures obtained from the Ministry of Transport show a significant reduction in the proportion of truck crashes in which a rollover occurs. From a high of nearly 50% in December 2007 the rollover rate has decreased to around 26% for the first six months of 2016.
While these statistics are extremely encouraging, the Road Transport Forum, our associations and the broader industry continue to strive for improvement.
Many operators would now be aware of the Rollover Prevention Safer Journeys Programme (ROPS) supported by NZTA, ACC and the police. The uptake and popularity of ROPS has exceeded all our expectations. Nearly 70 individual seminars will have taken place by the end of 2016, with more than 3000 drivers participating. Incredibly, we are already fielding requests for 2017 events!
However, the work that our industry is doing on improving road safety does not end with the Rollover Prevention Programme. Our three associations are also leading significant road-safety initiatives designed to inform industry and the general public how to stay safe around heavy vehicles.
The NZ Trucking Association has recently been rolling out its Share the Road Safely with Big Trucks programme, and has already taken it to a number of schools and events that engage with children and the elderly.
This is an excellent programme which teaches other road users how to behave around heavy commercial vehicles in a practical environment. It educates as to what a heavy truck’s limitations are, the stopping distance of a big rig, and shows people the massive blind spots that a truck driver has to deal with.
The Road Transport Association NZ has been running an equally valuable initiative called the Adopt-A School Youth Road Safety Programme. This encourages safety-conscious transport operators to partner with local schools through the signing of goodwill agreements.
The agreements involve pupils and staff from a school as well as management and staff from a transport operator, who agree to a set of road-safety initiatives. RTA area executives manage the agreement and provide both parties with ongoing support.
The programme is designed to incorporate ongoing road-safety education and heavy vehicle risk awareness into the everyday lives of school children.
In Auckland, National Road Carriers has been working with Auckland Transport to promote and highlight the importance of being safe around trucks at local school agriculture days. Auckland Transport has been able to tap into the relationship already established by NRC with local schools to help spread understanding of the potential hazards posed by heavy vehicles.
NRC also recently completed another share the road video with The Cycle Advocate Network (CAN) to help raise awareness of the blind spots on trucks, and improve understanding between cyclists and truck drivers.
So while our industry is consistently attacked by our opponents as uncaring and a danger to other road users, the facts and the work of our associations tell a very different story. Huge gains are being made in reducing the numbers of heavy-vehicle crashes, and the severity of crashes that do occur, and a great deal of effort is going in to educate the general public on how to be safe around trucks.
At the end of the day we all want one thing, and that is for our drivers and other road users to return home safely to their families.
