I dont have the stats to get right down to it but up until july 2011 there were 1286 road accident fatalities. Of those there were 147 involving heavy articulated trucks. This was 6% less than 2010 stats. To Nov 2012 there were 1186 acidents nationally of which 133 involved heavy articulated trucks. I see no increase in the incidence of heavy vehicles being involved in fatalities. It is decreasing.
The data also does not say who was at fault and if the accidents involved just the truck or multiple vehicles. Just because they introduce bigger trucks does not mean more accidents that are caused by the trucks. Yes there are idiots driving trucks but the safety in the industry is changing quickly with the introduction of more stringent laws. There are however a lot more idiots driving cars on the roads that should not ever have been granted a license to ride a bike let alone something that does 145kmh while putting on lipstick, texting and just generally dreaming about the next party.
There are serious concerns from most drivers in the transport industry that there are no laws for the average car driver that reflect the reality of todays highway driving. I regulaly drive Adel - Sydney in my car. It is an easy 15 - 16 hour drive with lots of stops. A truck will take a lot longer. The govt will do what govts always do. Introduce draconian laws & throw money at some thing that does not need it while ignoring the obvious.
Its a tough job driving a truck and its certainly not made easier by the law makers picking on one side of a problem. I am off the road for a while but still hear the stories of close calls and problems caused by bad drivers and even worse roads. Fix the roads and educate the users, the new laws for the transport industry are making it hard but making it safer. Let them have their big rigs but also educate the rest of the driving community.
