12 minute read
Suicide by truck (SBT) – We need to talk about this
There is a real human being here… I’m not an extension of this truck. I am a living, breathing human being and what you are about to do involves me.”
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This is the message that Australian truck drivers want the public to understand when it comes to Suicide by truck (SBT).
When a person takes their own life, more than one life is destroyed. Family, friends, neighbours, employers and co-workers are devastated but if suicide victim involves a stranger in their demise, the results can be even more damaging and far reaching.
Forcing a stranger to kill you with his/her vehicle, is something that truck drivers don't want to think about however, not discussing, reporting nor collecting any data is obviously not working in bringing an awareness to how this affects those in the transport industry who are exposed to it.
According to Headspace, evidence of a suicide contagion’ effect relating to inappropriate media coverage of suicide may have contributed to a fear of talking about it. Obviously, it is important ‘how’ the media reports this, but Headspace clearly says, “Talking about it will not ‘plant’ the idea in their head”.
Headspace also points out that not every suicide is preventable.
The difficulty of reporting on this subject is related to ‘how’ it was done for fear of copy cats. However, is the main stream media reporting that vilifies the truck driver a fair and responsible approach?
It is also hard to prove SBT unless there is a verbal forewarning or note proving that that someone intentionally drove their vehicle directly into the path of a moving truck or stepped in front of it.
It is also hard to prove SBT unless there is a verbal forewarning or note proving that that someone intentionally drove their vehicle directly into the path of a moving truck or stepped in front of it.
Often, the resulting death is categorised as an unfortunate accident by the authorities. However, in many incidences, suicide is the only reason that makes sense when everything else is logically ruled out.
What most people find hard to understand is ‘why’ someone would take their life and involve a stranger.
In an article in Australian Psychiatry entitled “Suicide and murder-suicide involving automobiles” it was noted that driver suicide may be chosen for the sake of family and friends – in order to look like an accident.
In researching this story, we reached out to support organisations and could not find any ‘public’ information or resources for helping the public understand the consequences of SBT or support for truck driver who had experienced it.
With a long term assumption that the risk of sharing information about suicide inadvertently leads to more deaths discounts the wider effects and impact on the living – and in particular, the truck drivers who experience it.
If SBT is not talked about, and specifically how it affects the ‘innocent’ stranger involved then how can the public be educated to think of the consequences of who it affects beforehand?
And where does this leave the truck driver who has had their life forever altered, and not for the better?
The common thread that ensues is that these drivers leave the industry and for the few that are willing or able to talk about it publicly they say the incident has forever altered their trust in people.
They struggle with the event, many for the rest of their lives - taking away from them one of the things they loved the most – driving. Many report anxiety that it is going to happen again.
Depression, guilt, shame, fear, flash backs, sleeplessness, nightmares, hallucinations…
the list goes on with Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cited as one significant outcome of SBT.
For Owner Operators, some are financially ruined if the other party was not insured. For all transport businesses there are the cost of repairs, the loss of drivers, a loss of income, their clients' freight including valuable livestock are involved (often dying horrifically or being maimed), and there is loss of life as not all SBT’s are one sided.
No data collection
The time has come for government and the wider community to partner with the transport industry to prevent ‘suicide by truck’ (SBT) and support the parties involved.
The National Road Safety Partnership Program (NRSPP) believes so, and in a submission in response to the Draft National Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030, they said that consideration should be given to including an action within the Draft Strategy focusing on the issue of suicide in the road system. The greater recognition of this issue in the road safety domain would align Australia with Sweden, which is generally recognised as one of the world’s leaders in road safety. Sweden formally identified suicide in road safety in 2010 when it started including it in its reporting. In 2012, a specific method for identifying suicides was adopted confirming it represented approximately 10 per cent of road deaths.
Since 2018, the NRSPP has been leading a collaborative project funded by Austroads exploring Suicide in Road Transport (SiRT) in Australia. The project involves nearly 100 partners and originated following research by Toll Group on their road fatality data identifying third party suicides on the road network as a major issue for their organisation. Currently little is known about the numbers, trends, location or scale of suicides on Australia’s road system because the data is not collected or reported on and this is not helped by confirmed suicides being removed from the official road toll.
But what is known, based on crash investigations by Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology researchers in 2014 where they estimated that SBT accounted for 17.2 per cent of large truck crashes in Europe and North America.
Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) in Australia has estimated that driver suicide accounts for between 1.1–7.4 per cent of all traffic fatalities.
NTI developed a criteria to identify suicide and assessed against this criteria found that 37.5 per cent of multivehicle fatal incidents in 2017 were either indicated or strongly-indicated to be suicide, with 20.8 per cent being strongly indicated as suicide.
Dr Sarah Jones, General Manager Road Transport Safety and Compliance, from Toll Group compiled a study of Toll employees, contractors and casuals and in a presentation to the NRSPP “Suicide by Truck – the Toll experience” concluded that 14 - 20 percent of incidents are confirmed SBT and that is almost certainly an underestimate because the Coroner’s courts have a presumption against suicide and the recognised tendency for some souls to disguise the cause.
Dr Jones says, “Progress can and must be made on this subject and the first step is acknowledging there is an issue.” "Policy resources tend to be directed to areas of highest risk, but the data on suicide by truck is largely invisible [or] hidden so it has not attracted attention. "We need to be candid with truck drivers that SBT is an occupational hazard and be up-front about the psychological impact this experience can have. "A driver who is informed about the risk of trauma-induced depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress can recognise symptoms at an early stage. "Fortunately there is an increasing awareness of the role mental health plays in safe and productive workplaces, so hopefully the stigma around seeking help/ acknowledging the impact is reducing. "Thirdly, we need to commit to talking about suicide by truck in a responsible, sensitive way. Language is important.
The truck driver - Dealing with SBT
According to a Monash University report, truck drivers are less likely to seek mental health support.
This needs to change. Everyone reacts differently to trauma and every opportunity must be given and taken to recognise any signs that something is not right. You deserve to return to normal or accept the event that you had no possible control over.
This means you must help yourself and those around you and seek professional help if you are an Owner Operator. There is no weakness in doing this.
Fleet operators such as Toll have systems in place and Toll classifies all fatalities as significant safety incidents, or SSIs which require thorough investigation. All drivers involved in fatalities or other serious incidents are required to debrief and are offered counselling and assistance either through the Toll Chaplaincy or the Employee Assistance Program.
If you have been affected by this article, help can be found at Lifeline on 13 11 14, and beyondblue on 1300 22 4636.
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VOLUME 27 | NUMBER 7
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FROM THE PUBLISHER
Ihave not seen this amount of rain for years… so many that it would age me. Our most precious commodity and I hope it has gone a long way to filling up dams across Western Australia.
No doubt from the pictures I have seen it is making our transport operators lives challenging with floods and road closures.
This month, I decided to research and write about something that has been worrying me for a long time, and I understand not everyone is going to agree or like this – but namely suicide by truck (SBT). I can’t thank the operators enough who have spoken to me that have experienced this and sharing how it has affected you. As I delved further into the facts, data (or lack of it) I was astounded by how badly this has been handled at all levels. Not talking about something does not make the problem go away and my hope is that if one person in the public reads this and it can influence them to not use a truck to take their life – because they understand the ramifications of their action – then it will be worth it. I will make this story available on the magazine’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ watransportmagazine and if you can share it so it reaches the public domain that would be great. While you are there can you like our page too.
Lots of good stuff in this edition and the common theme that ‘Now is a good time to be a transporter’.
Best, Karen
CONTENTS
2..............................................Suicide by truck (SBT) – We need to talk about this
6..............................................VALE – Steve Post 10...........................................FMH Group acquires GKR Transport 11..............................................Truck number plates deemed offensive 12 ...........................................Focus – Facilitating safe overtaking of slower moving vehicles 14...........................................Western Roads Federation: If trucking can’t lead now – it never will 16...........................................LRTAWA: It’s a good time to be a transporter 17............................................Truck driver medical standards should be improved 18...........................................$14 million of improvements to heavy vehicle rest areas across WA 19...........................................Congratulations to Craig Smith-Gander for Member of the Order of Australia 20.........................................Dananni Haulage’s Georgia Goss – the next generation industry leader
21 ...........................................Out of date truck widths
Every Month
7...............................................Questions to the State Government 8..............................................Fair Go for Owner Drivers 13 ...........................................Bird’s Eye View 22.........................................HCVC 24.........................................WA Transport History Endorsed by
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