Keep an eye out for heroes on the road

Keep an eye out for heroes on the road

Warkworth driver and roading contractor Tom Mitchell was "just in the right place at the right time" when his actions saved the life of a crash victim last year and earned him the 2010 supreme Beaurepaires Highway Hero award. Now the hunt is on for this year's hero.

Nominations can be made by anybody who feels there has been an act of genuine benefit to others on the road - as long as the driver is a professional and the act or incident happens while they are on the job.

"With nearly 550,000 trucks, buses and coaches registered in New Zealand, there are plenty of heroic deeds performed by commercial drivers which go unnoticed," said Jamie Stewart, marketing manager for Beaurepaires.

"In our experience these guys rarely see themselves as heroes and it takes work colleagues, police or the public to nominate them. Nominations are accepted throughout the year and a supreme year winner is chosen at the end of the year by a panel of judges."

Established in 1999 by the New Zealand Police in association with Beaurepaires, NZ Trucking magazine and the NZ Transport Agency, the Beaurepaires' Highway Heroes awards have been recognising professional truck, coach and bus drivers around the country for their good deeds performed on the job.

Heroes can be nominated through Beaurepaires stores, the local police station or at www.highway-heroes.co.nz.

Be on the look out for a hero; there's a set of car tyres for the nominator of the supreme winner.

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