L-R Darren Salt Hino New Zealand General Manager accepts the Safe Vehicle Awards from Dennis Crequer from New ZealandTransport Agency.
Underlining its benchmark safety credentials in the medium duty truck market, the Hino 500 Series Wide Cab has won a Safe Vehicle Award at the Australasian Fleet Safety Awards.
Run by Brake, the global road safety charity, the Awards recognise the achievement of those working to help reduce the number of road crashes involving at-work drivers in Australia and New Zealand.
Announced at the Australasian Fleet Safety Awards presentation in Auckland last week, the Safe Vehicle Award was accepted by Hino New Zealand General Manager Darren Salt.
“The enormous success of the Hino 500 Series Wide Cab in the marketplace since its launch last year is hugely gratifying and what we strive for as a business, but it is always nice when your efforts are recognised by your peers in the industry,” said Hino Australia’s Manager of Product Strategy Daniel Petrovski.
“Safety was the centrepiece of the development of the 500 Series Wide Cab, and we are proud that it sets a benchmark for the category, so this recognition of that approach is appreciated,” he said of the truck that boasts the most comprehensive active safety package of any Japanese truck in the medium duty truck category.
According to the Brake Judging Panel, the Hino 500 Series Wide Cab was meritorious in moving the safety benchmark forward.
In presenting the award, the judges said:
“The Safe Vehicle Award recognises organisations that have worked to improve the safety of their vehicles, whether through vehicle specification, technology and/or maintenance.
“This year's winner was the first to offer Vehicle Stability Control as standard on medium-sized trucks in Australia, helping to prevent loss of control and rollover crashes.
“They include safety features on their vehicles including ABS, anti-slip regulator and reversing cameras with night vision to increase visibility.
“They also introduced new technology to help reduce emissions from vehicles.
“With rollover and loss of control a factor in a significant number of heavy vehicle crashes, it's pleasing to see features like VSC being implemented to help address these types of crashes.
The Hino 500 Series Wide Cab’s win at the Australasian Fleet Safety Awards follows its success in the ‘Best Light or Medium Duty Truck’ category at the 2017 Brisbane Truck Show.