After decades of progress, Australian road deaths are increasing again. Reversing this trend is imperative, and we all have a role to play.
Our latest Transurban Insights Road Safety Report has identified some big gaps in road-user knowledge – gaps that, if closed, could contribute to safer journeys for everyone on the road.
As populations grow, demand for goods increases – and so does the number of trucks needed to carry these goods to our workplaces and homes. Our new research found just over half (53%) of survey respondents feel unsafe driving around heavy vehicles. We also found the number of people who feel safe around trucks has fallen over the past two years, from 35% (2022) to 26% today.
One way to increase safety around heavy vehicles is to learn the five truck blind spots, and to use this knowledge when sharing the road. Currently, awareness of truck blind spots is strikingly low. Only 3% of survey respondents could name all five truck blind spots correctly, and only 12% could name three. We also saw a 9% drop in people identifying that directly behind a truck is a blind spot.
Five truck blind spots
The five truck blind spots are shown below. If you travel inside the orange sections shown, the driver of the truck cannot see you, and may brake, accelerate, change lanes or turn without realising you are there.
Our research found awareness of car and motorcycle blind spots is also low. Less than half (43%) of respondents could correctly identify the two car blind spots, and only 14% correctly identified the three motorcycle blind spots.
More data to explore
This year we also asked respondents about their confidence in sharing the road with motorcyclists. We found confidence levels vary – they’re highest when sharing local and suburban main and arterial roads (60%) and lowest in longer tunnels (53%) and on rural roads (52%).
This latest report also includes findings on:
- driver behaviour when sharing the road with workers and emergency responders
- motorcyclist confidence levels when travelling on different road types
- drivers who travel with children’s understanding of Australia’s National Child Restraint Guidelines for children travelling in standard, ‘adult’ seats.
Read the Transurban Insights Road Safety Report (November 2024).
Research methodology
- Online survey conducted in mid-2024
- 3,012 respondents aged 18+ with a driver licence from: Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney
- Survey commissioned by Transurban and conducted by Nature.
