Blake is Blake Corney, the four-year-old Canberra boy killed instantly when his family's SUV was rear-ended by a tipper truck at traffic lights on the Monaro Highway on July 28, 2018.

Blake's death was a tragedy, but the Coroner later found it could have been prevented. His parents, Andrew Corney and Camille Jago, are determined to ensure he did not die in vain. They have made it their mission to have the recommendations made by ACT Chief Coroner Lorraine Walker implemented nationally.

Coroner Walker ruled Akis Livas, a 57-year-old truck driver employed by Canberra Sand and Gravel, was responsible for Blake's death. Livas, who pleaded guilty to culpable driving causing death in 2020 and is now serving a three year and three month jail term, is believed to have had a "micro sleep" just before the accident.

Livas, who had failed to act on two referrals to a sleep laboratory for suspected sleep apnoea before the crash, was subsequently diagnosed with the condition.

Coroner Walker found while he was to blame for the tragedy, it may have been prevented if the truck had been fitted with an autonomous emergency braking system.

She called on the ACT government to consider mandatory reporting by health practitioners who believe a patient has medical issues which may endanger the public while they are driving a heavy vehicle. Coroner Walker also called on the government to consider mandating independent medical examinations for people applying for some classes of heavy vehicle licence.

The Chief Coroner also wants governments to offer incentives to encourage truck operators to transition their fleets to vehicles fitted with autonomous emergency braking systems and fatigue and distraction detection technology.

The good news is these calls are being heeded. The National Transport Commission is to launch a review into how heavy vehicle drivers are screened for sleep apnoea, diabetes and heart conditions.

And, in another welcome development, ACT Transport Minister Chris Steel is to call on his counterparts to consider rolling out sleep apnoea testing requirements for truck drivers in line with those already in place for train drivers. He has also confirmed people applying for a new heavy vehicle licence in the ACT, or transferring their licence from another jurisdiction, now have to undergo medical examination.

Blake's parents, and ACM, believe this requirement should be mandatory in every state and territory in the country.

BLAKE'S LEGACY:

While no truck driver is ever willingly involved in a serious crash the reality is they are at significantly greater risk than ordinary road users. Heavy vehicles are grossly over-represented in crash data. Almost one in five crashes involves a heavy vehicle. On average about 200 people a year are killed in crashes involving large trucks. That is almost 20 per cent of the 1134 road deaths recorded in the 12 months to the end of January, 2021.

It is not good enough to say this is "normal" or that there is nothing that can be done to prevent accidents such as the truck crash that closed the M1 near Newcastle on Tuesday or the truck fire that closed the New England Highway near Tamworth on March 3.

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All transport ministers, whether federal, state, or territory, have the power to save children such as Blake, other road users, and truck drivers. Coroner Walker's recommendations are a good place to start.

We call on the ministers to listen to the plea from Blake's parents and to get on with the job. There is a clear list of actions ready to implement, it's up to them to get it done.

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