Every motorist has a responsibility to follow the road rules. Laws are in place to minimise the risk of fatal car accidents and other types of crashes.
It is in everyone’s best interests to therefore take restrictions and rules seriously, so that both they and their fellow road users stay safe.
However, certain motorists are subject to slightly different restrictions, and one of these groups is drivers of heavy duty vehicles.
Since trucks and other large vehicles are much bigger and heavier than the average car, if they are involved in a collision the results can be catastrophic.
This is especially a problem if the driver of the heavy duty vehicle has been speeding, driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, driving when incredibly tired or in any other illegal manner.
Police closely monitor the truck driving industry, and do their best to enforce related laws, in a bid to try and minimise illegal behaviour and keep other motorists safe.
In NSW, police have been working with the Roads and Maritime Services to educate drivers of heavy duty vehicles about their obligations under the law.
That said, there are still those that drive recklessly and place others in danger due to their illegal behaviour.
On Friday September 21, at approximately 23:20 in the evening, a truck driver was allegedly travelling at 129 kilometres per hour in a 100 kilometres per hour zone – nearly 30 kilometres per hour over the speed limit.
The driver – a 23-year-old male – was pulled over by police from the Albury Highway Patrol and issued with an infringement notice for speeding, and also for having incomplete diary entries.
Under the law, truck drivers who are working outside a 100 kilometre radius of their base are required to keep a work diary.
In here, they are to record their rest time and their work time.
This initiative was introduced to try and minimise the risk of driver fatigue, which is one of the biggest causes of truck accidents in the country.
Operations commander of the traffic and highway patrol Superintendent Stuart Smith said that police were working hard to ensure drivers were following the road rules and meeting their requirements under the law.
“We will continue to work with the RMS to ensure that trucking companies are complying with all road standards,” he said in a statement.
“This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable and we will use all our police powers to stamp it out.”
If you are ever involved in a crash with a heavy duty vehicle, you may be able to make a claim for truck accident injury compensation.
There are lawyers in Sydney that can help you with your case, who operate on a no win no fee basis.
