Truckers who lose control at the bottom of a freeway in Australia are expected to crash into the back of a specially designed truck for the duration of construction, officials say.
The South Eastern Freeway will be under construction for resurfacing beginning this upcoming Sunday, which will close the runaway truck ramps. Because of this, the Transport Department has set up a special truck outfitted with a shock absorber system as a replacement for the ramps.
“It is basically a rigid truck with a massive rear fender with a huge shock absorber system built into it,” said The head of the South Australian Road Transport Association, Steve Shearer.
“Apparently it can withstand the impact of a fully loaded semi-trailer going at 100kmph, it will stop that truck.”
While the device is structurally sound, officials say the trickiest part of this transition will be getting truck drivers to actually use the device, since they spend so much of their lives trying not to smash into another truck.
It’s a “very innovative, but mentally challenging approach,” Shearer said to ABC News Australia.
“It’s been used elsewhere in the country and on some roadworks with lower speed events to protect the road workers, but the point we’ve made is it’s counter-intuitive for a truck driver. The human behavior problem is getting truck drivers to understand what they’re seeing in front of them.”
Would you be able to intentionally crash into this truck if your brakes failed?