A tragic truck crash in Melbourne recently claimed the life of a motorcyclist when the 2 vehicles, a truck and a motorcycle collided.
Many motorists are not aware that driving in the vicinity of trucks requires a little more care and attention as this incident demonstrates. Before changing lanes or turning, make 100 per cent sure that it is safe to do so. Light motor vehicles are motorcycles are not tough enough to withstand the impact of being hit by a heavy vehicle, let alone one travelling at a speed. Often during crashes involving trucks and other lighter vehicles, the occupants of the truck escape uninjured which the occupants of the light motor vehicles suffer serious injury or death.
Efforts by authorities such as the new, Melbourne-bound overtaking lane on the Western Highway at Kiatawhich has been completed and is now open to traffic, should help to eliminate many traffic problems associated with overtaking vehicles.
Although the truckie was not necessary at fault in this accident it proves how vulnerable other road users are when it comes to crashes involving heavy vehicles.
Read this post on TheAge.com.au explains what happened:
A motorcyclist has been killed in a crash with a truck on a key freeway in Melbourne’s west.
Police believe the rider was travelling west on the Princes Freeway about 6.15am on Wednesday in Altona North.
A police spokesman said that first suggestions were that the rider, believed to be a man aged in his 20s, changed lanes and collided with a tray truck.
The man was treated at the scene, but he died.
The truck driver, believed to be aged in his 50s, is assisting police with their inquiries.
Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
The death takes Victoria’s road toll for this year to 55, 11 fewer than at the same time last year.
Speeding and rushing in all its forms is the biggest killer on Australian roads and even more so than light motor vehicles, speeding is a major issue for heavy motor vehicle safety. Dangerous overtaking, tailgating, skipping red robots etc. are all dangerous actions that drivers engage in when they are in a rush.
Heavy vehicles do not brake as fast as light motor vehicles do and so trucks need to stick to the limit set by the law and abide by road signage that indicates speed limits in order to avoid crashes.
The road death toll in Victoria is already at 55, although less than last year, still an unacceptably high number. In order to stay safe on the road drivers need to stick to the speed limit and adhere by safe driving practices, as well as avoiding rushing and making risky decisions on the road.
Undergoing chain of responsibility training is the first step in learning about safety procedures and is a mandatory requirement for truckies and anyone entering the road freight transport industry to learn about their role in getting the load safely from point A to point B.
