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Aug 12, 2023

New safety campaign targets driver fatigue

A new national road safety campaign is encouraging heavy vehicle drivers to take

A new national road safety campaign is encouraging heavy vehicle drivers to take extra care in their operations.

National Driver Fatigue Week takes place from 21 to 27 February, and is asking drivers of Australia's heavy vehicles to start every shift by asking themselves ‘How will you manage your driver fatigue today?’.

Orange and Cabonne Councils launched the first Power Nap campaign last year, funded by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) as an intervention strategy to prevent fatal fatigue crashes across the heavy vehicle fleet.

Orange Deputy Mayor, Gerald Power, said the option of a power nap can be a valuable tool for drivers to manage fatigue.

"I’m pleased the focus for National Driver Fatigue Week this year is encouraging truckies to make sure every pre-start checklist includes the work health and safety question about managing fatigue," he said.

"Sooner or later every truckie will face driver fatigue and the consequences can be fatal. For many a simple 15-20 minute power nap can overt a tragedy."

During driver fatigue pop up events at roadhouses on the Newell Highway, truck drivers surveyed had little or no knowledge of the benefits of a power nap or what a power nap was and how to implement it.

Road Safety Officer for Cabonne and Orange City Councils, Andrea Hamilton-Vaughan, said the power nap campaign has been very successful reaching individual drivers who are now reporting they use power naps to manage their driver fatigue regularly.

"Long term change will only be realised where educational materials support each other, and key messages are repeated over time," she said.

"This is why National Driver Fatigue week is valuable for the heavy vehicle industry to highlight the number one cause of fatal and injury crashes nationwide."

More information about the program is available here.

In other news, integrated transport, logistics and rural supply company, Lindsay Australia, has reported revenue growth in its 1H FY2023 results.

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