Warning to check and check again

MARTIN DE RUYTER/Nelson Mail

GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT: Cameron McKenzie, four, and Bronwyn White, of the Nelson Marlborough Public Health Service, promote the Driveway Safety Awareness programme that will be demonstrated at the Nelson A&P Show this weekend.

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The average family vehicle and a 25-metre long B-train truck may be a world apart in terms of power, but they do share one thing in common: their drivers both have limits when it comes to seeing what is behind them.

That message will be delivered at the Nelson A&P Show by the Road Safe Nelson Bays Committee, which is setting up displays to show just how little drivers can see.

Nelson Marlborough Public Health Service health promoter Bronwyn White said the deaths of two children in recent months in other areas of the country indicated how vulnerable small children were when standing behind a vehicle.

Children playing in driveways, poor vehicle design and drivers not knowing where their children were all contributed to the issue.

The committee will be setting up a car at the A&P show, inviting people to sit in the driver's seat to see for themselves how big the blindspot is.

"They will actually see how much they can't see," Ms White said.

The blind spot in a vehicle could go as far back as seven metres.

Ms White said the most important thing a driver could do was check, and check again.

The NZ Road Transport Association will also set up a display, giving people the chance to sit in the cab of a truck and get an impression of blind spots truck drivers face.

Area general manager Grant Turner said the blind spot in a truck could extend as far back as 20m.

If a vehicle following a truck could not see its wing mirrors, the chances were the truck driver could not see the vehicle behind.

Mr Turner said trucks needed more room at intersections and drivers needed to allow lots of clear space when passing.

"Be aware of the space the truck needs, and be aware they are a lot bigger than what the average car is, and they do need extra space on the road."

- © Fairfax NZ News