The number of multi-vehicle crashes involving heavy vehicles was down more than 16% year-on-year, according to new data from specialist insurer NTI.
A new report from NTI’s National Truck Accident Research Centre (NTARC) revealed the decrease in accidents came even as the number of freight movements and heavy vehicles on the road has steadily increased by 50% since 2003.
Adam Gibson, fleet risk engineer at NTI and author of the report, said the trucking industry “should be congratulated for keeping Australia moving and for keeping supermarket shelves stocked especially during COVID lockdowns.”
“There’s been a massive reduction in multi-vehicle crashes involving trucks and the lowest number of fatigue-related crashes since NTI began keeping records 18 years ago,” said Gibson. “It is a credit to the industry, truck drivers and all road users.”
Moving forward, NTI said it is working with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) to use data from the NTARC report to develop new education initiatives to further improve road safety.
Sal Petroccitto, chief executive officer of NHVR, said data driven technology is the new frontier in making our roads safer.
“Australia’s trucking industry is set for an information boom over the next decade, which will help improve safety and increase productivity,” said Petroccitto. “We want every driver to travel safely and arrive safely at their destination and ensure these NTARC report figures continue to improve.”
