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A Bendigo truck driver says the new 40km/h rule when passing emergency service vehicles will cause more accidents than it will prevent.
The controversial rule came into effect on Saturday and has already caused a truck to slam into the rear of a car whose driver had slowed down to adhere to it at Bacchus Marsh.
Bendigo truck driver Mick Carboon said the rule would cause a lot of dramas for a lot of people.
“To slow traffic from 110km/h to 40km/h is a recipe for disaster as far as I’m concerned. It's a minefield,” he said.
“I think it opens up a can of worms for more accidents in the long run for what it’s going to save.”
The truck driver of 38 years said he understood the need to create a safe environment for emergency workers, but there was too much interpretation in the law.
“How far do you slow down? There’s no clear definition,” he said.
“I just want clear boundaries and no one has given any.”
The new rule requires drivers to slow down to 40km/h when passing a stationary or slow-moving emergency vehicle with flashing red, blue or magenta lights, or sounding an alarm.
J&A Logistics Australia company director Andrew Turpie said it was good in theory, but it was not as easy for trucks to slow down as quickly as cars.
“There’s no way a truck can slow at the same speed,” he said. “And it could potentially cause an accident.”
Mr Turpie said truck drivers would have to leave more distance between other vehicles to allow for the change, but there was already an issue with cars trying to pull in front.
“I totally understand why they are doing it because I think emergency service workers get a raw deal most of the time,” he said.
“I think once everybody is aware of it and familiar with it, I don’t think it’s going to be a big deal.”
But he said he would have liked to have had more notice before the rule came into effect. The Bendigo-based transport business has a fleet of more than 30 vehicles, but didn’t receive any industry news about the change.
“It seems to have come out of nowhere,” he said.
“I had no idea and I found that quite surprising.”