Coroner urges authorities to incentivise autonomous emergency braking after death of Blake Corney

But the little Canberra boy might still be alive today if the offender's truck had been fitted with a type of modern road safety technology Australia has "lagged behind" many parts of the world in implementing.

That was what an emotional ACT Chief Coroner Lorraine Walker said on Monday, fighting through tears to detail her findings on the July 2018 death of four-year-old Blake.

Ms Walker sat at the same table as Blake's family in the ACT Coroner's Court to read out a number of recommendations flowing from the tragic incident that claimed the boy's life.

Criminal proceedings previously revealed Blake died of catastrophic head injuries after Akis Livas, 58, crashed a truck into the back of the Corney family's car, which was stopped at an intersection.

The coronial process was concerned with how to prevent a repeat of the death, and the circumstances in which Livas was still able to be behind the wheel of a heavy vehicle after ignoring the possibility he had sleep apnoea for years.

As Ms Walker noted on Monday, Livas was first informed of his possible medical condition some five years prior to the crash.

But the offender failed twice to attend sleep study referrals, and neglected to disclose the potential issue to Canberra Sand and Gravel or the ACT Road Transport Authority when obtaining a truck driving job and renewing his heavy vehicle licence.

He then decided to drive on the morning in question despite having felt "more tired than usual" for a few days.

Ms Walker said this "unjustifiable" risk had led Livas to take his eyes off the road, either because of a microsleep or distraction, with tragic and preventable consequences as he failed to apply the brakes until it was too late.

While the 58-year-old declined to take part in the inquest, Blake's parents were among many participants who actively put their energies towards creating change.

The process included a hearing in July and a trip to the Canberra headquarters of world-leading automotive safety company Seeing Machines, where Ms Walker was able to look at innovative technology in action.

By the time it concluded, the coroner was left with the view the ACT should do more to get more collision avoidance technology into heavy vehicles, noting Australia had been "lagging behind" other developed countries in making such advances.

"Had Mr Livas been driving a truck with an [autonomous emergency braking] system fitted, Blake may still be alive today," Ms Walker said.

The coroner accordingly recommended the ACT government consider ways to incentivise quicker uptake of this, as well as fatigue and distraction detection technology systems, by trucking operators.

She noted The Canberra Times had reported in recent days on the fact the Trucking Industry Council estimated it would take almost another 30 years for 95 per cent of the national heavy vehicle fleet to be fitted with autonomous emergency braking technology.

Among 10 recommendations, Ms Walker also called on Transport Minister Chris Steel to consider making it mandatory for medical practitioners to tell ACT licensing authorities about issues that might make patients dangerous behind the wheel of a heavy vehicle.

Ms Walker also proposed the mandating of independent health examinations for people applying for certain classes of truck licences.

She acknowledged that fatalities on the roads came at an "enormous" cost to people like members of Blake's family, who would forever be left with "a Blake-sized hole in their hearts".

Outside court, Blake's father, Andrew Corney, called for the ACT government to adopt Ms Walker's recommendations "in a meaningful way, not just pay lip service".

He said he hoped the coronial process would stop others from having to step into the shoes of his family, which had lost "a fantastically energetic child" with a bright future.

Blake's mother, Camille Jago, said everyone in the community had the power to apply pressure for change.

She urged people to take up the issue of mandating the latest road safety technology with their political representatives, to prioritise companies that had embraced this, and to take responsibility for any health issues that might result in dangerous driving.

"I cannot have Blake back in his physical form, but I can advocate for changes that may prevent similar deaths to Blake's," Ms Jago said.

"It is one of the few ways that I can continue to mother Blake, and I will continue to do that."

Lauchlan McIntosh, who leads a charity that aims to rid the world of road fatalities, described Ms Walker's recommendations as "very useful".

The Towards Zero Foundation chairman said there were "strong incentive measures" available to the ACT government to ensure its own trucks and the heavy vehicles used by its contractors contained technology like autonomous emergency braking.

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