Comment: Truckies often innocent parties in fatal crashes

Ken Shirley

The article on accidents involving trucks (February 19) unfortunately gave Rotorua Daily Post readers a partial and hence misleading account. The reporter for some curious reason didn't write about what caused the accidents, apart from the Waikato crash where it is acknowledged the car driver was at fault. If she had, readers would have learned that in all instances where details are available the truck and truck driver was the innocent party.

The article cites six accidents, the first in November last year in which the van with seven occupants driven by Tony Araroa collided with a logging truck in Kaingaroa. We've sought details from the police and Worksafe NZ as this accident happened on a private forestry road but they have yet to respond.

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With the crash north of Tokoroa on February 17, the driver of the other vehicle was on the wrong side of the road, in the truck's path. The truck driver tried to take evasive action.

The accident on State Highway 33 on February 17 between a truck and a car was due to the car driver losing control and again ending up on the wrong side of the road. The same explanation applies to the March 17, 2014, collision between a van and a logging truck and the November 30, 2014, accident involving a van and a milk tanker. In both instances the vans crossed the centre line and collided with the trucks.

The December 24 accident near Paengaroa between a car and a milk tanker was caused, say police, by the car driver failing to look right as he tried to cross a T intersection and driving in front of the tanker.

The fact that all these accidents were caused by the driver of the other vehicle just illustrates another statistic readily available on the Ministry of Transport website: in more than 60 per cent of all accidents involving trucks and another vehicle, the driver of the other vehicle is primarily responsible. This explains why trucks make up 6 per cent of the vehicles on the road but are involved in 19 per cent of fatal accidents. Regrettably, the link between the two wasn't drawn in the article.

If the reporter was looking for a common thread then perhaps it was remarkable that the drivers in three of the fatal accidents were from overseas. As it is, the article reinforces the unjustified prejudice some people have against heavy vehicles and the unfounded belief trucks are more dangerous than other vehicles.

The effect on drivers who are involved in fatal accidents for which they are not responsible can be traumatic and long-lasting. For many it can ruin their lives as they find themselves unable to drive a truck again.

-Ken Shirley is CEO of the Road Transport Forum.