South Australia Police deliver a wake-up call to drowsy drivers

Fatigue is a major contributor to road crashes. Unlike professional drivers of the trucking industry, fatigue involving drivers of private passenger vehicles cannot be measured or policed. The community is relying on individual driver awareness and responsibility to manage their own fatigue.

South Australia has extensive rural regions with long stretches of road that could result in long and uninterrupted trips often with monotonous conditions that can easily trigger tiredness.

By the time you finish reading this sentence, a driver could have drifted and hit another car on the opposite side of the road. “If you have ever felt drowsiness, yawning, trouble keeping your head up, or even daydreaming behind the wheel… it could have been you,” warned Superintendent Darren Fielke, Officer in Charge of Traffic Services Branch. “We want people to recognise those signs before they literally drift off, which is what we depict with this campaign.”

"SAPOL carefully selected a setting that realistically represents a South Australian country road where most fatigue-related crashes occur," Superintendent Fielke explained.

The first scenes of the campaign were filmed on Friday 21 June 2024 in the town of Monarto. Filming started at dawn with preparations and rehearsals. The production team was in a 4WD vehicle equipped with powerful lights and a camera to closely capture the car's movements performing a run-off road manoeuvre and a near-miss with an oncoming car. To simulate a real-life situation as closely as possible, the crew filmed on a closed road with a stunt driver and full complement of safety officers carefully staging and managing the mock incident.

Additional scenes were shot in an Adelaide studio, against a green screen with actors playing drivers who ‘were drifting off’. An attention-getting visual will be created by editing the footage with near misses to show what could happen in a fatigue crash.

A recent study by the University of Adelaide’s Centre for Automotive Safety Research conservatively estimates that fatigue contributes to 11.5% of fatal crashes and 4.3% casualty crashes.

“Fatigue is a silent killer on our roads. It is particularly dangerous because fatigued drivers often have decreased ability to judge their own level of tiredness. It is crucial drivers identify early signs before they literally drift off”, Superintendent Fielke said.

The campaign will appear later in 2024 coinciding with long weekends and holiday periods.

To prevent fatigue, South Australia Police recommends:

• Get enough quality sleep before you begin driving. Be sure to have 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep before your trip.
• Travel no more than 8 to 10 hours each day.
• Take regular 15 minutes breaks at least every two hours. Get out of the car, get some fresh air and some exercise.
• If possible, share the driving. Get your passengers to tell you if you look tired or if you are showing signs of tiredness.
• Avoid fatty foods which can make you feel drowsy. Eat well balanced meals at your usual mealtimes.
• Avoid starting trips after work. You will be tired already even though you do not realise it.
• Avoid driving during typical sleep hours (1am-6am). The chances of crashing are much higher late at night and early morning.
• Avoid alcohol and medicines that can cause drowsiness.

Inside the stunt car during filming for the new Road Safety Fatigue campaign.

Inside the Adelaide studio filming the new campaign which targets regional drivers.