A FUNDING BOOST for heavy vehicle safety programmes has been welcomed by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), the organisation announced recently.
NHVR chair Duncan Gay says the commitment by the Australian Federal Government to new funding for the Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI) was an important safety outcome for all road users.
“The HVSI programme has provided $11.61 million for 35 community and industry safety initiatives over the past three years,” Gay said.
“The NHVR doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, which is why it’s important we work with a variety of safety groups to harness their collective knowledge to develop implementable, value-for-money projects.
“There are 42 applications for the current round of funding, which closed in February, already vying for the current $3.91 million in funding.”
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CHAIN OF RESPONSIBILITY
The HVSI programme has delivered a range of safety programmes over the past three years, including Chain of Responsibility information, a Safety Around Ports project, Forestry Logistics Safety programme, Ag Vehicle safety, green reflectors to mark informal truck bays, Heavy Vehicle Confidential Reporting line and user-pays loading trials for livestock loading.
Gay also welcomed the additional $571.1 million to improve the safety and efficiency of heavy vehicle operations through the Bridges Renewal Program and Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program, including the establishment of the Office of Road Safety.
“There were 175 fatalities involving heavy vehicles and buses in 2018. While that is the lowest number ever recorded, it shows there is still a long way to go and many lives to save,” he said.