Motor vehicle bookings

One of the most common causes of crashes on country roads is fatigue. Being fatigued makes us less alert to what is happening on the road, and less able to react quickly and safely if a dangerous situation arises.

Are you at risk?

The two main causes of fatigue are lack of quality sleep and driving at times when you would normally be asleep. By not getting enough sleep you will build up a sleep debt.

What is sleep debt?

If you don't get enough sleep you go into debt ? you 'owe' yourself more sleep ? and the only way to repay this debt is by sleeping.

Until you catch up on your sleep you have a greater risk of having a fatigue?related crash.

Some risk factors

You also put yourself at risk of a fatigue related crash if you:

• drive in the early morning (1am?6am), as for most of us this is the time that we would normally be sleeping. Also driving in the 'afternoon lull' (1pm?5pm), when our biological time clock makes most of us feel sleepy
• start a trip after a long day's work
• have a sleep disorder such as sleep apnoea. Symptoms of sleep apnoea include heavy snoring broken by sudden periods of silence, restless sleep and constantly being tired during the day.

Signs of driver fatigue

The signs of fatigue include:

• your head keeps nodding
• difficulty in keeping your eyes open
• unable to remember last few kilometres
• constant yawning
• drifting in the lane or driving off the road edge
• delayed reactions
• loss of concentration / daydreaming
• fluctuations in driving speed.

What to do to avoid driver fatigue

To protect from having a fatigue-related crash:

• before a long trip you should only have a light meal
• share the driving if you can, with another person
• make sure you regularly get enough sleep
• don't undertake a long trip after a long day at work
• take a break at least every two hours and walk around
• be aware that you are at a greater risk of having an accident when driving between 1am-6am and 1pm-5pm as you are out of sync with you biological clock
• do NOT drink any alcohol before or during a long trip as it could make you sleepy
• If you feel tired pull off into a parking bay and sleep. A 10 minute Powernap can significantly lower the risk of a fatigue related crash
• eat well balanced meals at your normal meal times.

The Myths about reducing fatigue

There are some commonly held beliefs about fatigue that are false.

A short stop during a long trip will keep me safe.

Having regular breaks might help delay the onset of fatigue, but once you become fatigued you must have some sleep.

Drinking coffee is the best way to beat fatigue.

Coffee only provides short term benefits; once the effect wears off, sleep loss will kick in which is a major cause of accidents.

Listening to the radio or music will keep me focussed and alert.

This will only provide some short term benefit.

Having plenty of fresh air or air conditioning will keep me alert.

This is desirable, but only provides some short term benefit.

I'm young and need less sleep.

In reality, drivers under 25 years of age are over represented in fatigue related crashes.

Drowsy driver : Drink driver. What is the difference?

Research shows that if you haven't slept for 17 hours it has the same effect on driving ability as a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.05. 

Going without sleep for 24 hours has the same effect as a driver with a BAC of 0.1.

Driving when fatigued may not be illegal, but it can be lethal.

The only cure for fatigue is sleep.

People who drive after drinking alcohol have a greatly increased likelihood of being involved in a crash. For example, a driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.05 has doubled his/her risk of crashing as compared to having a zero blood concentration.

Alcohol is one of the four major causes of road traffic deaths. (Driver fatigue, failure to wear seatbelts and speed are the others.)

Recent research shows that drivers in nearly 30% of our state’s fatal crashes were above the legal blood/alcohol limit. So why does it keep happening? It’s partly because some drivers believe ‘it can never happen to me’ – and the more we drink, the more over-confident we tend to become.

How alcohol affects driving skills

No person can drink alcohol without affecting their ability to drive a vehicle or ride a motor bike or bicycle. You don’t have to be drunk to be dangerous on the road. Although you may feel or look all right, your driving ability will be impaired, especially in an emergency, if you have been drinking alcohol.

This is because alcohol is quickly absorbed into the blood stream, where it travels to all parts of the body, including the brain. When it reaches the brain, alcohol acts like an anaesthetic. It slows down and gradually dulls parts of the brain that are needed for driving. Once alcohol is in the bloodstream, its effects on the brain cannot be stopped or controlled.

These effects include:
Slower Reaction Time when something unexpected happens (e.g. a car approaching from a side street, traffic lights changing, or people crossing the road).

Poor Judgement about your speed and the speed of other vehicles, and in judging distances (e.g. other cars seem farther away than they really are).

Visual Attention and Hearing are reduced. After drinking alcohol, drivers tend to focus on the road straight ahead (“tunnel vision”) and avoid what is happening in their side vision (e.g. you won’t hear or see things like cars approaching from side streets, or people crossing the road).

Poor Co-ordination when trying to do more than one thing a time, especially in an emergency.

A False Sense of Confidence but alcohol will leave you less able to cope with unexpected events. You may take risks you would not normally take. This can be extremely dangerous as most drivers are not aware how badly their driving skills have deteriorated after drinking. Some people may show these effects after drinking only small amounts of alcohol, whereas others may demonstrate little or no change in their appearance or behaviour. Regardless of this, their driving skills will be impaired.

Even small quantities of alcohol will affect your driving ability.

University Policy

University Insurances will not cover you if your BAC exceeds 0.05

How you can help yourself

If you are going to drink, it is safer not to drive at all.
You can plan to avoid driving by:

• designating a non-drinking driver
• using public transport (e.g. bus, train, tram, taxi)
• staying the night (make sure you are not still over the legal limit in the morning)
• arranging for a friend or family member to pick you up.

If you are offered a lift, only accept if the driver is not affected by alcohol or other drugs.

If you intend to drive, the following can help you avoid reaching a BAC of 0.05:

• eat a substantial meal before or, at least, during drinking
• start with a soft drink or water
• stick to light alcoholic drinks
• only have one type of alcoholic drink
• alternate alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
• avoid drinking in ‘shouts’
• if you’re at a restaurant, ask for a jug of water (and drink it!)
• don’t let people top up your glass
• if drinking spirits, use more mixer and less spirit.
  

As a very general rule of thumb:

• MEN should drink no more than two standard alcoholic drinks (no more than 10 gms of alcohol in each) in the first hour and one standard drink each hour after that.
• WOMEN should drink no more than one standard alcoholic drink each hour.
• Note that sticking to these guidelines may not prevent some people from reaching a BAC of 0.05 or more.
• The only way you can be sure of your BAC at the time is to use a public breath tester

It is important to remember that even at a BAC of 0.05, your risk of having a crash is doubled compared driving with a BAC of zero.

Don’t combine alcohol with other drugs or medicines

Taking other drugs with small amounts of alcohol can severely reduce your ability to drive safely. This also applies to prescribed medication, medicines you buy over the counter from pharmacies or supermarkets and illegal drugs such as cannabis, heroin, amphetamines or ecstasy.

Myths about drink driving

Only TIME will reduce your BAC. It is a myth that black coffee, cold showers, exercise, fresh air, vomiting, tablets or home remedies will reduce BAC.

The Law and drink driving

If you are caught driving with a BAC of 0.05 and above, you will be penalised. Penalties may include fines and/or loss of licence.

It is illegal for L and P-plate drivers to drive with ANY alcohol in their system.

Both medicines and illegal drugs can impair driving abilities and increase the potential of a crash. Statistics show that there is an increase of the presence of drugs in drivers involved in accidents. In fact, drugs are found to contribute to driver fatalities as often as alcohol.

Mixing drugs and driving

Drugs and driving don't mix
Research has shown that many drugs will have a worse effect on your driving ability if you take or use them and drink alcohol at the same time.

If you are on medication that has a label warning of possible drowsiness, and you are thus affected, you should not to drive a vehicle or operate any machinery.

Illegal drugs do not have warning labels, however, it is always unsafe to drive after using any illegal drug because of the effects they have on mental and physical capacities

How do drugs reduce driving ability?

Any medicinal or illicit drug can decrease a driver's:

• ability to react quickly to changing road conditions and incidents.
• concentration
• mental alertness
• physical co-ordination

Medicine and driving

Your driving ability can be impaired when taking prescription or over?the?counter medicines (i.e. medicines you can buy from a pharmacist without prescription). This includes medicines used to treat allergies, arthritis, diabetes, blood pressure, stress, and strong pain killers (particularly those containing codeine).

Always check medicine labels for the following warnings: 'This medicine may cause drowsiness and may increase the effects of alcohol. If affected, do not drive a motor vehicle or operate machinery', or 'This medicine may affect mental alertness and/or coordination. If affected, do not drive a motor vehicle or operate machinery'.

What can you do?

• Before taking any medicines check with your doctor or pharmacist how they can affect your ability to drive.
• If you change medication ask the doctor or pharmacist if it can affect your driving.
• Always read and take notice, of the warning labels on prescribed or over the counter medicines.
• Ask your doctor or pharmacist if a Consumer Medical Information Sheet is available for the medicine you will be taking.

DO NOT DRIVE if you feel.

- drowsy or tired

- dizzy, light?headed or faint

- vague, not thinking dearly

- shaky or unsteady

-angry or aggressive

- nauseated/sick

- or have blurred or double vision, or any problem with your eyesight.

• let your supervisor know if you are taking any prescribed medicines that may reduce your ability to safely drive a car or operate machinery.
• Consult your doctor if you think your medicine may be affecting your driving; stop your driving NOT your medication

The laws about driving and drugs

It is illegal to drive a vehicle if your driving is impaired by the use of drugs, including medicines. If Police believe you are effected by a drug or medicine, the can take you to a police station for assessment, and you may be required to give a blood sample.

If you are found guilty of driving under the influence of a drug or medicine, you can lose your licence and be subject to a significant fine.. The penalties may be more severe for anyone not willing to submit to an impairment assessment or refuses to give a blood sample.

Mobile telephones have become a standard piece of equipment for many of us today. They're invaluable for keeping in touch with colleagues the office, making and breaking appointments and calling for help should an emergency arise.

But they're not good news for safe driving. Even drivers using a hands-free mobile phone cannot concentrate fully on the road if their attention is distracted by a phone call.

Mobile phones and driving can mean trouble

Real?life incidents confirm: if you are driving in a situation that demands a lot of your attention, then performing another task like answering and talking on a phone can affect your concentration and your driving.

Some situations that can cause real problems when using a mobile phone while driving include:

• complex traffic situations (e.g. at intersections, during peak hour, or where there is a hazard such as road works)
• when overtaking or turning
• changing road conditions (e.g. winding road, potholes, unsealed surfaces or limited overtaking opportunities)
• foul weather conditions (e.g. rain, hail or fog reducing visibility, high winds effecting steering).

What are the alternatives?

Where possible use a message bank service to take your calls while you are driving.

To minimise the risks if you must take or make calls:

• pull off the road when it is safe to do so.
• ring the caller back when you are stationary.
• respond to calls with a brief message to return the call when you are not driving.

Apart from being safer, this will enable you to give any phone call your full attention.

The law

You must not use a hand-held mobile phone while your vehicle is moving or is stationary in traffic (e.g. at traffic lights). You may, however, use a hand held phone while parked.

You are permitted to use a mobile phone fitted with a "hands-free kit" while driving. But you must always drive with due care and never attempt to dial a number while driving.

Speeding is of considerable concern to employers, as it continues to be a major factor in road crashes.

Unfortunately we still hear of incidents where a colleague has been killed or seriously injured in a speed?related crash. You've lost a friend and colleague, and an important member of the team ? perhaps forever. Suddenly the old saying 'better late than never' really means something.

Types of speeding

It is important to recognise that inappropriate speed can put you and other road users at risk.

What is inappropriate speed?

• travelling in excess of the speed limit posted for a particular stretch of road; or
• travelling at a speed that is unsafe for the road surface and traffic conditions (e.g. gravel road, fog or heavy traffic) even though you may be within the designated speed limit.

In most situations speeding occurs when drivers who have ignored posted limits choose how fast they will go. So why risk your life and the lives of other motorists by speeding?

What are the risks from speeding?

It has been proven that speeding increases the risk of being involved in a casualty accident (i.e. a crash where someone is killed or injured).

Excess speed makes a significant difference to your ability to stop. For example, driving at 50 km/h you can stop your car in approximately 41 metres, but at 60 km/h it will take up to 58 metres before you can stop. Every kilometre of excess speed makes a significant difference to your chances of being involved in a crash.

In a crash, the faster a vehicle is travelling at the time of impact, the more severe the injuries to the occupants of the vehicle/s involved.

Why does speeding increase the risk of crashing?

Research shows that due to speeding the risk of crashing increases because:

• you have less time to notice hazards (like a child running onto the road ahead of you)
• if you do notice a hazard, you have less time to re-act and then take action
• stopping distance is longer
• you are more likely to lose control of your vehicle e.g. on a twisting section of road
• other road users and pedestrians may misjudge your speed e.g. a pedestrian may cross the road or another driver may turn right across the path of your speeding vehicle when the distance is not big enough.

How does speeding increase the severity of crashes?

In a crash, the greater the speed the greater the impact.

Your body is not designed to cushion the effects of impact from a crash. Therefore the greater the impact, the greater the injuries to those involved.

From research it has been shown that:

• in an incident involving a vehicle and a pedestrian, the probability of the pedestrian being killed increases rapidly beyond impact speeds of 40 km/h
• pedestrians have no protection, so an impact speed that may injure the driver or passengers in a vehicle would probably be fatal for a pedestrian
• an impact speed of 80 km/h is twice as likely to kill a driver compared to a driver crashing with an impact speed of 60 km/h
• for older drivers the risk is greater because they are more frail

How to avoid speeding

• Always stay within the speed limit posted for the stretch of road you are on.
• Use cruise control, if fitted, on longer trips or freeways.
• Be alert and respond to changes in the speed limit.
• When slowing down from a high speed, check your speedometer to ensure you are within the new limit. Note?it can sometimes be hard to adjust after travelling at a high speed for a prolonged period of time.
• When there are difficult traffic conditions or the weather is poor, you may need to travel below the posted speed limit. The same would apply to speed advisory signs.
• Fit an over?speed warning device to your vehicle.
• As your speed increases, increase the safety distance between your car and the vehicle ahead. Should a vehicle ahead of suddenly slow down, stop, or turn you will have enough time to slow down or stop, and avoid a collision.
• When overtaking large transport vehicles, avoid cutting in front of them as they need longer stopping distance to adjust to changes

The law and speeding in South Australia

Exceeding the speed limit is illegal. If you break the law and speed, you may be subject to heavy penalties (fines, loss of demerit points or loss of licence)

Speed cameras and radar operate throughout South Australia and the Police vigorously enforce speed limits, so of you speed there is a good chance you could be caught.

University Policy

The driver is responsible for all traffic infringements and expiation notices

Seat belts must be worn by all occupants of a motor vehicle when it is in motion or is stationary but not parked. A person must not occupy a seat without a seat belt if other seats with seat belts are unoccupied.

How do seats belts work?

Seat belts:

• Prevent ejection from the vehicle.
• Reduces contact with the interior of your car.
• Decrease the time for an occupant to stop on impact.
• Spread the impact force by spreading it over a larger area of your body.

What should you do?

As the driver of the vehicle:

• make sure your seat belt is correctly fastened and adjusted.
• ensure passengers seat belts are correctly fastened and adjusted.
• check that children are correctly restrained.

If you are a passenger:

• make sure your seat belt is correctly fastened and adjusted.
• encourage all occupants of the vehicle to 'buckle up'.

Driver offences

Drivers commit an offence if they fail to wear a seat belt when one is available.

Drivers also commit an offence if young passengers are not waring a seat belt or child restraint as detailed below:

For passengers 12 months old and under 16 years old:

• must wear a seat belt (or child restraint) if one is available:
• must wear a seat belt before any passenger aged 16 or over.

For children under 12 months old:

• must occupy a child restraint suitable for the child's weight (eg baby capsule).

When sitting in the front of a vehicle:

• in all vehicles with more than one row of seats, passengers under 16 years may only sit in the front row of seats if they are wearing a seat belt or child restraint.

Passenger offences

Passengers aged 16 years old or older commit an offence in any moving motor vehicle if they:

• do not wear the seat belt when a seat belt is available:
• sit in the front row of seats if there is no seat belt available, unless

   

  - the vehicle has only one row of seats, or

  - there is no seat available in another row.

   

Myths of wearing seat belts

There are many untrue statements about wearing or not wearing seat belts.

Some of theses beliefs are:

I'm only going a short distance, so I don't have to wear one.
This is wrong. You must buckle up for any trip, be it short or long. Many crashes happen within a 10 km radius of the driver's home.

I am not a fast driver so I don't need to wear a seat belt.
Wrong. If you have an accident at 40 km/h it has the same impact as a fall from a two storey building onto concrete.

Being a passenger in the back seat I don't need to wear a seat belt.
Wrong again. Statistics and research show that if you are not wearing a seat belt, you are not safer in the back seat.

I'm not responsible for my passenger not wearing a seat belt.
This is false. An unrestrained passenger becomes a lethal weapon in a crash, and is capable of killing or seriously injuring other occupants of the vehicle.

A pregnant woman doesn't have to wear a seat belt.
This is wrong. A seat belt correctly worn will protect both the mother and unborn child. If a pregnant women has a certificate signed by a doctor providing medical reasons for not using a seat belt then she can travel without using one.