Wakey wakey! Dozy truckies in for a mild shock
AUSTRALIA: Truck drivers in Australia who lose concentration behind the wheel could be given a small electric jolt to ensure that they focus on the road ahead.
Freight traffic has increased sharply in Australia during a long economic boom, and the shock treatment is being considered after a string of accidents involving heavy goods vehicles.
There have been two fatal crashes involving trucks in New South Wales this week, and Melinda Pavey, the state’s roads minister, said yesterday she was looking at technology to improve safety.
‘‘The technology now is so advanced, a driver can be driving and get an electric shock if they look away from the windscreen for more than two seconds,’’ she said.
Several devices claim to be able to rouse dozy drivers and keep their eyes and minds focused on the road.
They include cameras that monitor the driver’s eyelids and how many times they look away from the route ahead. If they are deemed to have lost concentration, an audible alert sounds in the cab and the driver’s seat vibrates.
Another system, which involves the driver wearing a bracelet, delivers a ‘‘gentle electric shock’’ if 16 indicators – including heart rate – fall below a certain level.
Two university students were crushed to death on Wednesday when an articulated truck carrying concrete barriers ploughed into a line of vehicles that had stopped for roadworks near the central NSW town of Dubbo. Ten other people were trapped in the wreckage for up to four hours.
On Tuesday, a truck driver was killed on a Sydney motorway when his 25-metre tanker carrying ethanol crashed and burst into flames.
In the past year, 81 people have been killed in accidents involving trucks in NSW.
The number of such accidents rose by 86 per cent in the state during the past year, and by 10 per cent nationally.
Studies have linked rises in truck accidents in Australia to increased economic activity.
More than 2.5 billion tonnes of freight is now carried on trucks each year, an increase of 150 per cent since the country’s last recession in 1991.
New jobs figures show that employment has risen every month in a calendar year for the first time in four decades. The national unemployment rate is now 5.5 per cent.
The Australian economy is forecast to grow by 3.5 per cent this year.