NEED A PLACE TO PULL OVER, TO LET FASTER TRAFFIC PAST?

These green reflectors will help you find a safe place.

Often, we have trucks or other vehicles behind us as we tow our van and want them to overtake but there is no safe place for them to do so.

You may have noticed some green reflectors on guide posts beside the road on some highways. These indicate that there is a safe place to pull off the road coming up soon so you can indicate your intentions early and be prepared.

Approximately 500 meters from a safe place to pull over you may see 3 x Green reflectors, 250 meters you may see 2 x Green reflectors and just at the safe place you may see 1 x Green reflectors.

TRUCK FRIENDLY HELPS CLEAR UP THE CONFUSION: –

  1. They were started by road safety advocate and truck driver Rod Hannifey as an aide for truckdrivers to find a safe place to pull over if tired or to check the load etc. They are now in Qld, NSW and some in Victoria, I believe. I am unaware of any in other states at present. however, they are growing in number and there may be some I am not aware of.
  2. They indicate a place is coming up where a driver may be able to pull off the road safely to allow other vehicles to pass. It is not a passing lane but an area off the road to stop.
  3. Most are not maintained nor bitumen like the ones in the photo, but the location is selected due to the firmness of the ground and visibility etc. Some may have small roadside drop offs and longer grass due to not being regularly maintained. The one in my photo is on the ISIS Highway between Bundaberg and Childers in QLD and a rare bitumen one.
  4. They were originally blue reflectors; however, they were changed to GREEN to help avoid confusion with fire services. There are still some original blue reflectors out there that have not been changed, but all new ones should be green in all states.
  5. They were at one stage funded by the NHVR (hence the NHVR reference to heavy vehicle usage on any promotion) to advise heavy vehicle drivers that there is a pull over area coming up in case they needed a short rest or check the load etc. It is hard to pull up a heavy vehicle, so they provide some time to slow before pulling off the road.
  6. The brochure on the 3-2-1- Green Reflectors was given to me personally (Truck Friendly caravan road safety program) by a road safety officer with Qld Transport (TMR) to share with caravan users. The reason for this was to help assist and encourage slower vehicles (like caravans, RVs etc.) to pull over to let faster traffic pass and discourage risky behavior and reduce anxiety, improving road safety.
  7. The only real publicity was funded by the NHVR which refer to Heavy Vehicles which they regulate.
  8. I have it in writing from QLD TMR that they are for use BY ALL ROAD USERS and I have previously contacted NSW Roads and Maritime, who advise the same. There are no secrets in road safety.
  9. These are not to be confused with signposted ‘Truck only rest areas’, which are restricted to use by ‘trucks’ (Trucks carry freight…)
  10. Roads are under the authority of the State roads authorities and NOT NHVR.
  11. Some people advise that they are only for trucks to use. While originally intended for long hall trucks, this is not correct, all road users can use them, I expect common sense to prevail and give trucks priority, as they are time restricted and need to rest by law. However; no one wants a tired driver on the roads no matter what they drive, so if tired, pull over and have a SHORT rest in one of these bays.
  12. I DO NOT KNOW OF ONE TRUCK DRIVER WHO WOULD OBJECT TO A CARAVANNERS OR MOTORHOME DRIVERS, USING ONE OF THESE STOPS TO PULLOVER SHORT TERM TO ASSIST A TRUCK DRIVER AND OTHERS TO PASS, SO THAT THEY CAN ALL GET ON THEIR WAY AND ARRIVE AT FAMILY AND PARTNERS SAFELY AND ON TIME. I BELIEVE IT WOULD BE SILLY FOR SOMEONE TO OBJECT TO SOMEONE TRYING TO HELP OTHERS IN THIS REGARD.
  13. NOTE: They are NOT for overnight or extended stops. As soon as possible get on your way and have a better rest at a designated rest area or park. They are usually very close to the road and not long, so I would not assume that a caravanners or RV drivers would get a very good sleep that close to a busy highway, so I do not believe that this will be a problem and self-regulating.
  14. If you are holding up traffic, radio and indicate your intensions early, pull over and let others pass. It is a common courtesy, and will help ensure less stress, anxiety and stupid risky overtaking that can take the life of all involved. Stay safe.

I hope that explains the correct use of 3-2-1- Green Reflectors and some common sense.

So keep an eye out for them and you will now know what they are therefore.

More caravan safety tips at www.truckfriendly.com.au

Stay safe.
Cheers
Ken
#truckfriendly

Our Sponsors