New video promotes safer driving around trucks

A new video has been released in an effort to improve safety around trucks on the road.

This is in response to the 2018 Re:act road safety behaviour change program, which is focused on safely sharing the road with trucks.

One of the major outcomes of this year’s program is that increased awareness of truck safety is important to informing safer road user behaviour.

In the safety video, Swinburne University Communication Design (Honours) students outline how Re:act opened their eyes to the challenges facing truck drivers, and how that improved understanding changed the way they behave on the road around trucks.

Truck drivers also feature in the video, sharing some of the challenges they face on the road.

The video was developed by Melbourne creative agency Hard Edge with the support of Swinburne University, the Australian Trucking Association, Melbourne Metro Rail Authority, National Road Safety Partnership Program, Transport Accident Commission and Mr Smith Projects (video production).

Hard Edge Managing Director Andrew Hardwick said the video allowed Re:act participants to share, in their own words, how the program had shifted their attitudes and behaviour towards trucks and truck drivers. It also aimed to ‘humanise’ truck drivers to promote improved interactions between cars and larger vehicles.

“The number of trucks on Australian roads is expected to double in the next 20 years, and major projects, like the Melbourne Metro tunnel, are increasing interactions between cars and trucks, particularly on city roads,” he said.

“So we need creative and innovative ways to change attitudes and inspire drivers to change their behaviour around trucks.

“One of the main outcomes from Re:act 2018 is how little other road users understand about sharing the roads safely with trucks, and how that lack of understanding can put both parties at greater risk.

“The video shows that increasing understanding of how to drive safely around trucks, combined with ‘humanising’ truck drivers, inspires positive behaviour change.”

Hard Edge created Re:act, in collaboration with Swinburne University, to raise awareness of road safety issues among 18- to 25-year-olds and change their driving behaviour.

Each year as part of Re:act, Swinburne University Communication Design (Honours) students are challenged to develop creative solutions to serious road safety issues.

Image credit: ©Yurii Bizgaimer/Dollar Photo Club