Australia’s roads are getting safer, with heavy vehicle crashes falling 13% in the past five years, but premiums for truck-owners are forecast to continue rising as the average claims cost increases.

National Transport Insurance (NTI) CEO Tony Clark says the industry has made significant progress on improving safety.

“There has been a lot of work done, particularly with the major trucking fleets on implementing safety systems, telematics and on driver behaviour,” he says.

Federal Government data shows deaths from heavy vehicle crashes are at a five-year low.

But Mr Clark says the crashes that do occur can still involve significant claims as a result of damage to both vehicles and surrounding property.

And costs are rising from accidents involving both large long-haul vehicles as well as smaller trucks delivering goods around towns and cities.

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