Sharing roads safely this summer
With Christmas and the summer holidays now upon us, our roads are about to get busier than ever, and now is the perfect time for drivers to brush up on road safety knowledge.
Road safety is everybody’s responsibility and with this in mind, Caravan Industry Association of Australia is working to keep all drivers educated this summer through a variety of resources and programs.
In September, the association came together with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator to launch the Co-Exist awareness campaign, which is designed to inform and encourage drivers about the importance of driving safely, sharing the roads and planning out trips and rest stops.
Caravan Industry Association of Australia CEO Stuart Lamont said all road users had equal responsibility for road safety.
“Caravan and RV users value safety so this information will help them to understand how to share the road with heavy vehicles, particularly in understanding how such a large vehicle behaves,” Mr Lamont said.
“Our campaign promotes simple information that can reduce frustration, such as the use of UHFs for improved communication between drivers, maintaining speed and road position when being overtaken.
“When stopping for the night make sure you’re aware that truck drivers may need to use the dedicated stops to manage their fatigue hours, so plan your stops and use the appropriate areas to park and not use designated truck parking.”
For those planning on hitching up the trailer and doing some towing, there is also plenty of important information available to help ensure the safety of all road users. It might look simple at first glance, but there’s a lot more to towing than what meets the eye.
The National Towing Guide Website is here to help, with educational videos and articles on how weight impacts a vehicle, making safety checks, increasing stability, and much more.
Visitors to the website can even access innovative features such as the Pedders Weight Matrix; world-first software designed to assist in understanding your vehicle weight, each of your tow and load “scenarios” and most importantly the critical impacts of weight.
