The trucking industry’s life-saving road safety exhibition is back on the road, heading to Adelaide to educate young road users about how to share the road safely with heavy vehicles.
Developed by the Australian Trucking Association and launched in 2019, SafeT360 is an interactive custom-built road safety exhibition that uses virtual reality and interactive messaging all packed into a real travelling truck and trailer.
“Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the SafeT360 travelling exhibition was put on pause and we shifted our focus to delivering an online campaign with our digital content,” ATA Safety, Health and Wellbeing Director Melissa Weller said.
“As restrictions are now lifting, we are excited to be able to get the truck back on the road and resume our national tour,” she said.
SafeT360 will feature at the Adelaide Careers & Employment Expo on 16 – 17 October, increasing young peoples’ understanding of truck blind spots, stopping distances, overtaking procedures, risks associated with distraction and key messages for vulnerable road users.
“Research tells us that young people aged 16-25 years are overrepresented in crashes on our roads, which is why SafeT360 specifically targets this age group through an engaging and interactive experience,” Mrs Weller said.
“SafeT360 educates young road users by putting them in the virtual driver’s seat. It is providing the hands-on experience and knowledge that is not offered by learner driver programs.
“We harness virtual reality technology to educate our audience and change their behaviour, by informing them how to keep safe around trucks on the road,” she said.
President of the South Australian Road Transport Association Sharon Middleton AM said the association was proud to partner with the ATA in bringing SafeT360 to Adelaide to attend the careers expo.
“The SafeT360 trailer is a fantastic and very important road safety initiative by our industry. The vital role of the trucking industry in sustaining the community has been made very clear during the COVID crisis and our industry provides great career opportunities for men and women,” Mrs Middleton said.
“Our professional truck drivers are very safety conscious and the SafeT360 trailer and its interactive displays help save lives by showing other road users how to share the road safely with trucks,” she said.
SafeT360 will be at the Adelaide Careers & Employment Expo (Adelaide Showground) on 16 and 17 October from 9am – 5pm daily.
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