Wife of late trucker Neville ‘Slim’ Mugridge takes fight to make roads safer to parliament

After gaining over 18,000 signatures on her petition, Delphine Mugridge is a step closer to making roads safer for truck drivers.

Since losing her husband in a horror two-truck crash in April, Delphine Mugridge, 74, has been fighting to make Australia’s deadliest industry safer and is now one step closer to achieving her goal.

The “avoidable” death of her husband, Neville, 77, prompted her to start a petition, which now has more than 18,000 signatures, calling for heavy vehicle licences to require more experience.

This petition is now on track to be tabled in parliament in September with the state government considering making “significant” changes to SA’s licencing system.

Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis met with Mrs Mugridge on Friday and confirmed changes could be underway “very soon.”

“Mrs Mugridge has shown incredible courage and determination to collect over 19,000 signatures to improve safety in the trucking industry after the passing of her husband Neville,” he told The Advertiser.

“I told Mrs Mugridge that South Australia would be considering implementing significant changes to its heavy vehicle licensing system very soon and in the meantime, I’ll be tabling her petition in parliament once it resumes.

“Truckers, like all workers, deserve to work in an industry that is as safe as possible and to come home.”

Delphine with late husband, truck driver Neville Mugridge. Picture: Supplied

Neville was one of three truck drivers killed in the Eyre Highway crash at Yatala earlier this year.

Better known as Slim, he had a “heart of gold” and “diesel in his veins” instead of blood and had been driving trucks for over fifty years.

His death was “totally avoidable” and had there been better protocols, he would have still been here to celebrate their 10th anniversary since rekindling their teen romance this week, she said.

With road and rail drivers accounting for the most deaths of any occupation across the country, Mrs Mugridge hopes the proposed changes will make sure no more truckies lose their lives on the job.

“Things are starting to happen. They have been happening for a while, but the petition is going to make it a lot easier for things to be fast tracked,” she said.

“Some days I don’t feel strong, but I started something that was important to me, and I just thought, I’ve got to set it to the end.

“I think this will save lives once they get the stuff underway and get retraining and competency testing done [so that drivers can] be confident, and make sure that they do know how to drive the roads as well.

“South Australia can lead the way for other states … I don’t want Neville to have died in vain.”