26 June 2014

Police crackdown on heavy vehicles detect an alarming number of safety and compliance offences

Police, working with road, transport and safety agencies across Australia and New Zealand have concluded Operation AUSTRANS (12 May – 8 June 2014) which aimed to improve safety in the heavy vehicle industry.

Operation AUSTRANS focussed on the heavy vehicle road transport sector on road safety issues such as fatigue, speed and drug use, as well as compliance with standards and procedures.

CEO of the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA), Jon White says that police prioritised their attention to unlawful and unsafe behaviour in the heavy vehicle industry.

“Of the offences detected, police caught 290 unauthorised drivers, detected 327 mobile phone/ distraction offences, intercepted 151 drivers at the roadside who were impaired or tested positive for drug driving, identified 3833 work diary/log book breaches including instances of exceeding work hours and fail to produce, 3122 exceed mass and/or dimensions and load restraint offences, as well as almost 1000 drivers caught speeding. These are worrying numbers.

While police acknowledge the wider economic benefits of heavy vehicle movements and that most drivers and businesses take their road safety responsibilities very seriously, these results highlight that some don't. This must change,” says Mr White.

Despite efforts to improve compliance with safety standards, there are still too many deaths and serious injuries that involve heavy vehicles.

“The unsafe operation of heavy vehicles can have serious consequences because of their size and weight. Heavy vehicles can weigh up to 65 tonnes and when they collide with another smaller vehicle, such as a car or motorbike, the results are catastrophic. All road users benefit from a safe heavy vehicle transport industry,” says Mr White.

Operation AUSTRANS is part of Australian and New Zealand Police Commissioners’ commitment to the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety.

ANZPAA is the agency that serves Police Commissioners across Australia and New Zealand. For more information and statistics please go to: http://www.anzpaa.org.au/current-initiatives/operation-austrans

Operation AUSTRANS is jointly supported by Police Commissioners across Australia and New Zealand. Every year police and road, safety and transport partners across Australia and New Zealand participate in Operation AUSTRANS — a collaborative multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional enforcement operation to target fatigue, drug use and other road safety issues among the heavy vehicle road transport sector.

To find out more information on Operation AUSTRANS please visit www.anzpaa.org.au

ENDS

© Scoop Media