QPS Forum Addresses Road Safety and Trauma

Australia’s leading specialist insurer, NTI, was privileged to attended the Queensland Police Service’s Regional Queensland Heavy Vehicle Safety Forum recently in Mackay.

The purpose of the event was to develop a foundation for working collaboratively to improve road safety, with the theme of the event being ‘Partnering with industry – Preventing trauma together, not responding to it’.

Attendees included Queensland transport operators, government representatives, regulatory bodies and associations as well as representatives from the mining sector and heavy vehicle recovery operators.

Of particular note were presentations from QPS Assistant Commissioner Kev Guteridge, Austroads General Manager Paul Davies, Dr. Sarah Jones, Director of Driven Consulting and Rod Hannifey from the National Road Freighters Association providing the critically important driver’s perspective.

With road trauma the focus of the forum, there were frank but constructive conversations about the impacts of road crashes on those working in the heavy vehicle industry. Skills development and mental health and wellbeing support for drivers was identified as key areas of focus moving forward.

NTI’s Transport Research Manager Adam Gibson presented  findings from NTI’s recent NTARC Report and Retrospective, highlighting that in fatal truck and car crashes – the truck is not at fault in over 70 per cent of cases.

“It was great to be in a room with so many like-minded, proactive people concerned about road trauma with a desire to make positive improvements,” Mr.Gibson said.

His sentiment was echoed by other attendees, with the likes of Cam Dumesny of Western Roads Federation noting this was the “most effective forum I have ever attended on the topic”.

NTI thanks the Queensland Police Service, AC Guteridge and all the speakers and attendees who made the forum such a success.