NSW campaign launched for holiday safety

NSW Minister for Roads Duncan Gay has launched a holiday safety campaign and urged all road users to plan their Christmas and New Year holiday road trips, with heavy traffic expected on main roads and highways across the state, many of which have been improved since last Christmas.

The trucking industry is acutely aware of the dangers presented by the increased number of inexperienced motorists on the road, with most unaccustomed to long distance driving. The Christmas holiday period is always a concern for drivers of heavy vehicles.

The Minister launched a new road safety campaign, Don’t Trust Your Tired Self, which highlights the serious risks of driving tired. That has been lauded by the trucking industry.

“Many drivers aren’t aware how being tired can affect their driving,” said Gay. “It’s one of the top three killers on NSW roads, along with speeding and drink driving. Crashes due to tiredness are also twice as likely to be fatal than other crashes. You can’t brake while you’re asleep. You might be a good driver, but your tired self isn’t. Do not trust them behind the wheel.”

Minister Gay said last year 62 people died and 1,959 people were injured on the roads in fatigue related crashes.

“Last year there were more deaths due to people driving tired than drink driving,” said Gay. “It’s time to bring driving tired into the road safety spotlight and that’s what this campaign is about.”

General Manager of Transport for NSW’s Centre for Road Safety Marg Prendergast said research also shows tiredness is not only an issue for people taking long journeys or driving at night.

“Crashes related to tiredness are more likely at night when your body is used to being asleep, but many also occur at other times of the day including early morning and during the afternoon,” said Prendergast. “You have to consider how tired you are any time you drive, whether it is a short or a long trip, day or night.

“We need drivers to realise that you don’t have to be extremely tired and struggling to keep your eyes open to dangerously impair your driving ability. You can simply just be tired from a long day, a big night, after working a shift with strange hours, or tired from concentrating on the road while the kids yell in the back seat.”

Gay said the launch of the Don’t Trust Your Tired Self campaign coincides with one of the busiest times of the year on the roads, Christmas and New Year, when many people burn the candle at both ends before jumping in the car with their family for a long road trip or to get to family and other social events.

“One of the important points of this campaign compared to previous ones is that we will be asking people to think about ‘tiredness’ instead of ‘fatigue’,” said Gay.

Truck drivers have welcomed the campaign launch with many voicing unbridled support as each Christmas they encounter many instances of fatigued car drivers posing a danger to all road users.

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