Submission to the Transport for NSW inquiry to improve bus safety

The Hunter Valley bus crash which occurred on 11 June 2023 had a devastating impact on the bus occupants, families and friends of those who were on the bus and first responders (police, paramedics, fire fighters, civilians). The second-round impacts on road infrastructure, the legal system, transport services/providers/users, and local communities will, like the direct impact on those directly affected, continue to reverberate for years come. The preliminary indicative economic cost of the road trauma generated by this bus crash is estimated in the submission at $(2023)61.7 million. The submission covers five key areas considered to be critical in supporting the NSW Government’s inquiries into the Hunter Valley bus crash and its commitment to improve road safety. These areas include: road trauma; chain of responsibility; Australian Design Rules (ADRs); telematics and road safety and Road infrastructure. The submission contains 18 recommendations covering these five areas.