3 December 2012
The Automobile Association and the Log Truck Safety Council say log truck accidents have not been an issue in 2012. However, misreporting by the news media has given the opposite impression. Logging Truck Safety Council secretary Bruce Nairn said that while he knew of one confirmed logging truck driver death this year, many of the accidents reported were incorrect.Media reports of 11 deaths created the perception that logging trucks were higher more dangerous than they really were.
He said the accident between Ohakune and National Park that killed four people in July this year actually involved a general freight truck, not a logging truck as reported in the media.
Log trucks have also been involved in a many attempts by car drivers to commit suicide. This is traumatic for the truck drivers.
Automobile Association (AA) spokesman Mark Stockdale said logging truck accidents were not an issue that had been brought to the AA's attention this year. He said a spate of logging accidents in the 1990s had led to a change in operating rules and vehicle configuration.
Source: NZ Herald, to read the full story, click here.