Driving tired? Take a break and be rewarded
Published on 16 December 2020
Fatigue is one of the three biggest killers on NSW roads. Ahead of the increased traffic on key travel routes over the upcoming holiday period, Shoalhaven City Council has partnered with neighbouring Councils to support the Local Government Road Safety ‘Driver Fatigue - War on Waste’ campaign.
The campaign is proudly funded by Transport for NSW encouraging motorists to take rest breaks to manage fatigue, whilst also addressing additional holiday waste by supplying local cafes along key travel routes with free reusable keep cups featuring fatigue safety messaging for customers.
The cups are made from a 50/50 blend of rice husk fibre and food grade polypropylene, making this initiative a win for local businesses, travellers and our planet.
Mayor Amanda Findley was pleased to see local Cafes and Councils joining the campaign to help promote the message of managing driver fatigue.
“We are proud to partner with Eurobodalla Council, Goulburn Mulwaree Council, Snowy Monaro Regional Council and Queanbeyan Council in spreading the message on driver fatigue. This is a great campaign which supports motorist safety, sustainability and using local businesses as a rest point," Mayor Findley said.
Shoalhaven's Participating Cafes:
- Café Rene – 193 Princes Highway, South Nowra
- Again and Again Café – Shop 6, 320 Princes Highway, Bomaderry
- Ulladulla Café - 93 Princes Highway, Ulladulla
- Tomerong General Store and Post Office – 353 Hawken Road, Tomerong.
Driver fatigue can happen on any trip, no matter how long or short, at any time of day. Make sure you stop and consider how tired you are before driving. Learn to recognise the early warning signs when driving and know what to do to avoid driving tired.
Early warning signs include yawning, poor concentration, sore/tired eyes, restlessness, drowsiness, slow reactions, boredom and oversteering.
The statistics are confronting, fatigue-related crashes are twice as likely to be fatal. If you’re asleep, you cannot react and brake, and the impact can be much more severe. From 2016 to 2020, fatigue was a contributing factor in 11% of all crashes in the Shoalhaven, 37% of these crashes were on the Highway.
Unlike drink driving, there are no laws regulating driver fatigue. We all need to play a part in managing our fatigue and watching for the signs in others.
When travelling through the Shoalhaven these holidays, take a break, stop in at a local participating café and enjoy a refreshing beverage with a great new keep cup, win-win!*
Test your tired self now: https://www.testyourtiredself.com.au/
*Keep cups are only available until supplies run out at each store.