No one plans to have a road accident, but how do you plan not to have one? This week is New Zealand‘s annual Road Safety Week (7 to 13 May), and Teletrac Navman wants to highlight the importance of safe driving around heavy vehicles.

Whether it‘s sitting in blind spots or rapidly changing speeds on the motorway, many smaller vehicle drivers don‘t realise their habits adversely affect truck drivers – who can‘t easily brake or swerve out of harm‘s way. Heavy vehicle operators are involved in more serious accidents than other vehicles, despite often not being at fault. Truck drivers have primary responsibility for only 20% of the fatal crashes involving another road user (Ministry of Transport, Truck Crash Facts 2017).

“If we want to get serious about reducing the road toll, then we need to talk about trucks, specifically, sharing the road safety with them,” says Andrew Rossington, vice president of transport at Teletrac Navman.

Teletrac Navman‘s Road Safety Week initiative #TipsFromSafeDrivers invites truck drivers to share their best tips and tricks on how other road users can safely share the road with them. Throughout May, their insights and advice will be showcased on the Teletrac Navman contest website. At the end of the month, the driver with the best tip will receive a $100 Visa prepaid gift card.

Trucks transport 91% of New Zealand‘s total freight by weight, according to the Government‘s 2014 National Freight Demands Study. The study forecasts that up to 2042 there will be little change in modal share, indicating that over 90% of freight tonnage will continue to be transported by truck.

“Aotearoa relies and will continue to rely on heavy vehicle road transport. That‘s why it‘s so important to keep the safety and wellbeing of drivers top of mind. With first-hand accounts from those behind the wheel, we can gain insights that will make our roads safer for everyone,” says Rossington.

Drivers can submit their safety tip, along with a photo, at http://safedriver.teletracnavman.co.nz/enter-to-win/

For more information please visit www.teletracnavman.co.nz/blog/truckers-speak-up-for-road-safety-week-2018