At the Truckrun Salland in Overijssel it went completely wrong last year. An attendant ended up with her head on the dashboard after an emergency stop. Her lawyer filed a claim with the organization. Insurers then adjusted their conditions, so that everyone must wear a seat belt. Many organizations now have to cancel their run, but the runs in Vlijmen and Roosendaal, among others, will continue. “The cars may be less spectacular, but at least that’s how it can be.”
Truck runs are trips in which people with a disability go out for a day in a large truck. In a large convoy, hundreds of trucks drive a route through a city or village, honking loudly. The participants are fastened in the belt on the co-driver’s seat.
Some participants need a guide. Many trucks do not have a seat belt and so they often sit on the bed behind the seats.
Canceling is not an option
Many organizations do not manage to arrange a seat with a seatbelt for everyone who rides. On Tuesday it was announced that the Truckruns in Peelland and Tilburg, among others, have therefore been canceled at the last minute.
In Roosendaal they quickly started looking for a solution, because ‘cancellation is not an option’, organizer Emil Jansen told ZuidWest TV. On April 29, supervisors are only allowed if they can wear a seatbelt. This means that there are smaller vehicles that have three seat belts, such as training vehicles or a recovery vehicle. The vehicles also drive slower.
Safety comes first
On April 22, 110 trucks will participate in the Truckrun in Vlijmen. At the start 31 years ago, it was already decided not to take people on the beds. Chairman Leon Koolen: “My predecessors thought that was a dangerous idea and told truckers that from the start.”
Even then it was a challenge to find trucks with a double co-driver’s seat. “That is why we have also started using smaller trucks over the years.”
He understands that it is a pity that some participants can no longer ride in large trucks, ‘but safety comes first’. Instead of large trucks, they are looking for other solutions. “Last time a box truck and a van from the fire brigade participated.”
‘Society is changing’
Koolen now finds it even more important that everyone wears a seat belt than before. According to him, this has to do with the behavior of other traffic. “I’ve been going myself since 2004. It seems that society is changing. Everyone thinks more about themselves and is more in a hurry.”
According to the chairman, this causes unexpected maneuvers and unsafe situations can arise as a result.
Koolen finds it especially sad that so many tours have been canceled this year. “We empathize enormously, because we know what it means for the participants. We saw that during the corona period. Then we also had to cancel our trip. So I’m sure they thought it through,” says Koolen.
Read also: Truck run Tilburg and Peelland cancelled: ‘Many participants disappointed’