Road transport and logistics industry professionals often get the feeling that the general public don’t appreciate them. But a survey by Volvo Trucks suggests that the reality is quite different.
The survey sought the opinions and attitudes of over 2,000 road-users including; car drivers, lorry drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians. They were asked to consider the importance of goods vehicles and, with road safety in mind, whether lorries added to the risk of accidents.
The results were, generally, very positive, with respondents showing that they appreciated truck drivers and the essential role they and the trucks they drive, play in the smooth running of their lives. Almost all respondents (96%) broadly agree that lorry driving requires significant skills and training. More than three quarters consider lorry driving to be a responsible profession with 79% trusting that lorry drivers were always paying full attention to the road. However, lorry drivers are expected by 50% of road-users to take greater care in making our roads a safer place. Around 45% of those interviewed felt that training levels for lorry drivers should be increased.
There’s also general agreement that truck operators pay close attention to safe loading and maintenance of vehicles and equipment. Only 8% of respondents had any worries about insecure loads and even fewer (4%), poorly maintained equipment.
When it comes to trucks themselves, the vast majority (92%) said that they recognised the important role lorries play in everyday life. Indeed, with ever increasing online shopping, the same number of respondents agreed that increased freight traffic is needed to suit modern life.
Ideas suggested for reducing traffic accident risk included only allowing trucks on the road at night (33%), dedicated lanes for lorries on dual carriageways (45%) and ‘suitable behaviour around lorries’ to be included in the national driving test (44%). However, the majority of respondents (76%) were of the opinion that all road-users have a responsibility to improve road safety.