Eastern Freeway victim Josh Prestney’s father Andrew speaks out about the danger of tired truck drivers on our road
The father of a young policeman killed on the Eastern Freeway says “the almighty dollar is put in front of our safety” when it comes to truck driver fatigue.
Police & Courts
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The father of a young policeman killed in the Eastern Freeway tragedy says he is not surprised at shock figures exposing the number of fatigued truck drivers on our roads.
Andrew Prestney’s son Josh was one of four officers who died when sleep-deprived and intoxicated truckie Mohinder Singh ploughed into them on the roadside in April, 2020.
Singh has been jailed and his employers from transport company Connect Logistics are facing court proceedings in Victoria and NSW over their alleged role in what happened that day.
The Herald Sun revealed last week that more than 1000 dangerously tired truck drivers were detected on Victorian roads last year, some of whom had been busted more than 10 times.
Mr Prestney said he was not surprised at the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator numbers, having examined the industry in the almost three years since his son and colleagues Lynette Taylor, Glen Humphris and Kevin King were killed.
He said drivers were being pressured by their employers who were, in turn, being squeezed by big clients who wanted the cheapest possible movement of their cargo.
Mr Prestney said he believed consumers would be prepared to pay a little more if it meant an easing of the demands placed on drivers.
“This goes down to what happened to my son. The almighty dollar is put in front of our safety,” Mr Prestney said. “All stakeholders should get involved. That includes the community. We’re the tip of the iceberg.”
Last October prosecutors dropped manslaughter charges against Simiona Tuteru, the manager of Connect Logistics, who will now face heavy vehicle charges.
Mr Prestney said the length of time the legal proceedings were taking was frustrating.
“We’re sick of putting our lives on hold. We can’t get too hung up about that sort of stuff,” he said.
Father-of-two Singh has been ordered to spend 22 years in jail with a minimum of 14 over the smash.
The police officers had been at the roadside after pulling over a speeding Porsche driven by Richard Pusey.
Singh has agreed to give evidence against Mr Tuteru.
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