Inattention and distraction were found to be the most common causes of crashes last year in the lastest National Truck Accident Research Centre’s Major Accident Report.
According to data from report partner NTI, those incidents were double the rate of any other cause and have increased 75 per cent since 2022. Over the past five years there has been a 2.6-fold increase.
Mobile phone and wearables use, consuming food or drink, talking with passengers, and looking at infotainment systems or roadside advertising were all flagged as contributing factors.
Additionally, research has suggested the introduction of advanced driver assistance systems, such as lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control and traffic sign recognition, may contribute to driver ‘boredom’ and allow drivers to divert their attention to secondary tasks.
Rigid trucks and buses had the highest rate of inattention/distraction incidents, representing 21.8 per cent of all rigid trick incidents and 30.8 per cent of all bus/coach incidents. Inattention/distraction incidents are largely an urban issue with one-third occurring in major cities. The most common mechanism for these incidents is the vehicle going off path on a straight road.
Other key findings from the report were:
The overall incident rate in 2023 has increased by 27 per cent since 2022, marking a concerning trend that has been accelerating since 2020.
Losses have risen across almost all cause codes, with crashes related to human factors seeing a 42 per cent increase since 2022.
Over five years, incidents due to inappropriate speed increased by 41 per cent. In 2023, 89 per cent of these incidents involved a single vehicle, with 85 per cent resulting in vehicles going off the path on curves.
Inadequate following distance incidents have increased by 73.5 per cent over five years. These incidents mainly resulted in collisions with the rear of third-party vehicles, occurring predominantly in major cities and involving heavy vehicles and cars travelling in the same direction.
The report also highlighted that over the past 10 years (2012-2021) the number of fatal incidents on Australian roads involving a heavy vehicle has reduced by 2.9 per cent.
Over this same period, light vehicle fatalities involving heavy vehicles have also reduced by 5.2 per cent, however heavy vehicle occupant deaths have increased by 2.6 per cent.
Due to the high rates of fatalities and/or injuries, road transport, agriculture and construction have all been classified as priority industries by the Australian Work, Health and Safety Strategy, acknowledging the hazardous nature of these industries.
Image: NTARC
The road transport industry has the highest fatality rate of any industry, at 16.2 per 100,000 workers in 2021. The road transport industry accounted for 21 per cent of all worker fatalities between 2017 and 2021, with 74 per cent of these occurring due to vehicle collision.
The report, a collaboration between NTI, the National Road Safety Partnership Program (NRSPP) and the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC), also acknowledged that it does not address the underlying reasons behind these issues.
“Further research is necessary to fully understand the lived experiences of Australian truck drivers and the contributing factors that can be explored to develop effective interventions,” the report said.
“By gaining a deeper understanding of the issues and experiences faced by truck drivers, we can better target solutions to mitigate these hazards and measure the impact of these solutions over time.”
Future reports will incorporate an extended range of data sets, better reach road users, and foster more partnerships to provide deeper analysis into the causes of major incidents involving heavy vehicles in Australia, the partnership promised.
To download a full copy of the National Truck Accident Research Centre’s 2.0 report, click here.
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