Geneva-based trade body, the International Road Transport Union (IRU) has launched a new ‘Crash Prevention Programme’ – namely a series of training materials designed to raise risk awareness and encourage best practice among commercial drivers.
The programme aims to reduce the number and severity of accidents by looking at general road safety issues through interactive training, notably computer driving simulations that replicate more than 50 real-world scenarios.
Other training materials include on-board camera videos of real-life crashes, a ‘compelling’ mini-documentary about a driver’s personal experience of an accident resulting in a fatality as well as quick reference guides, driving tips, and quizzes to challenge driver misconceptions about road safety.
Commenting on the new programme, Head of the IRU Academy, Patrick Philipp, said, “Human error is the main cause of nine out of 10 heavy vehicle crashes. That’s why we are tackling this issue directly at the source of the problem – the human factor.
“Our crash prevention programme speaks to both new and experienced drivers using simple language to raise risk awareness and encourage self-observation. Even the best drivers can fall into bad habits over time. We want to give them the necessary training to put the odds in their favour so that everyone makes it home safely at the end of the day,” concluded Mr Philipp.
An earlier study entitled European Truck Accident Causation found that 85% of all road accidents are mainly caused by human error. Information about accessing the new training package can be gained by contacting the IRU.
