Safety around trucks is a perennial concern for riders, with close to one quarter of bike rider deaths on Australian roads involving heavy vehicles.
Bicycle Network contributed to the recent National Road Safety Week activities with a Swapping Seats event to illustrate truck blind spots at the Hawthorn v St Kilda football game in Launceston.
Swapping Seats has been delivered in Melbourne at bike riding events and near construction sites over several years.
Road Safety Week provided an ideal opportunity to bring the concept to Tasmania, with the support of the Road Safety Advisory Council.
The activity aims to improve understanding of the blind spots around construction trucks, especially for people riding bicycles, motorbikes and pedestrians.
A coloured vinyl mat is laid around a construction truck showing the driver's blind spots in red, a limited visibility area in yellow, and areas that can be seen clearly in green.
Bicycles are placed in the blind spots and people are invited to sit in the driver’s seat to understand the limitations of mirrors and front windows, especially in trucks that have high bonnets.
The activity received good publicity thanks to local cycling legend Richie Porte, who helped launch the event with Josh Weddle from Hawthorn Football Club.
Speaking at the launch, Richie said "It’s good to put yourself in the front seat of a truck like that and see the difficulties that are faced by professional drivers.”
The Australian Government adopted new truck design standards last year that will improve safety for people riding, including underrun protection railings to stop a rider being sucked under the wheels, direct vision cameras, sensors and more mirrors to reduce the extent of blind spots.
The Tasmanian truck fleet is older than in other states and there are many small operators, so it will take some time for newer, safer trucks to appear on our roads. This is why Swapping Seats will still have relevance for several more years to come.
Thanks to the Hawthorn Football Club, Tasmanian Transport Association and local earthworks company Pro Dig for helping to bring Swapping Seats to a Tasmanian football crowd.
