d
ves
FLEETDRIVE
The figures are startling.
Over 1,000 people were
killed in truck crashes
between 2012-2016. So
what is being done to fix
the problem within the
transport industry?
WORDS DANIEL BRAID
I
t started with a letter to Prime Minister
Malcolm Turnbull on January 11, earlier
this year. Toll’s Managing Director Michael
Byrne sought to provide the government with
a targeted plan to help improve safety on
Australian roads. As Michael puts it you can
never underestimate the personal effects of
road trauma on the community.
“Too many people seem to believe that killing
people is an acceptable part of our business
because they think the solutions are over-
regulation of the industry,” he says.
“This sort of thinking has held back the
necessary changes in our industry and must
be stamped out.”
The overall frustration felt is complex and
wide-reaching across the industry, and it is
apparent that immediate change must be
made to improve heavy vehicle safety. Central
to Toll’s concerns is the perceived lack of
initiative taken at government level to solve
this ever-escalating issue.
ISSUE 10 2018 / WWW.AFMA.NET.AU
5