Katanning trucker Glenn Kendall will lead the national road safety campaign We All Need Space for WA

A popular Katanning trucker has joined a national road safety campaign to make regional highways a safer place for everybody. Trucker Glenn “Yogi” Kendall has teamed up with National Heavy Vehicle Regulator to promote safety around heavy vehicles on country highways as part of the We All Need Space road safety campaign. The former Outback Truckers television program favourite said “the message is simple, we need space to keep you safe.” Mr Kendall has sat behind the wheel of road trains for 26 years and seen numerous accidents and near misses in his time. “Sitting up in my cab, I worry watching other motorists make dangerous decisions because they’re unaware of what’s in front, beside or behind their vehicle,” Mr Kendall said. “Truck drivers often feel like they’re fighting for every inch of the road, watching other drivers ducking and diving into a space just to get to their destination quicker.” The campaign will move to each state and WA’s edition follows on from Victoria’s which was led by comedian Jimmy Rees. There has been a gradual increase in fatalities on country roads and NHVR executive director of corporate affairs Michelle Tayler said an alarming number of them involve a car and a truck. “We have seen a statistical increase in fatalities across Australia and last year there were 196 fatalities involving a car and a truck,” Ms Tayler said. “In WA last year there were 27 fatalities on the roads involving a car and a truck, so there is a clear issue here. “We, as heavy vehicle regulators, do a lot with truck driver safety and now we need to get this message out more broadly to raise awareness and reduce the lives lost on roads that involve both light and heavy vehicles.” Ms Tayler said that motorists need to be more aware of the difficulties truck drivers face and recognise how actively sharing roads with trucks is key for a safer road system. “We can see a knowledge gap around how we share roads safely with trucks, and we need to understand the difference between a truck’s blind spots and what a truck needs to be able to turn safely, as opposed to if you’re driving alongside a normal car,” he said. “Trucks need three to four times more space than a car.” Mr Kendell is an ideal spokesperson for WA given he is highly regarded in the trucking sector and having someone who has experienced unsafe motorists daily is fitting for the campaign. “Yogi has an incredible following within the heavy vehicle industry and is very well regarded,” Mr Tayler said. “We decided to partner with him to talk about safety from a truck driver’s point of view and promote the message about sharing the road with trucks.” The campaign started in WA this month and will move to each state before it finishes in Queensland in September “Every three or four weeks we will be coming out with a new lead spokesperson, so Yogi’s, kicking it off for us in WA.”