Queensland Road Safety Week is an annual reminder of our shared responsibility to make our roads safer by raising awareness of fatigue and other driving hazards.
The Fatal Five – speeding, drink driving, failing to wear seatbelts and driving while tired or distracted – are all major contributors to lives lost on our roads and are all avoidable.
At Centurion, we have over a thousand drivers on the road nation-wide, who drive 150 million kms per year on average, so we take road safety seriously.
This campaign highlights the risks relevant to every road user nationally and by raising awareness, we help create a culture of safer driving practices beyond just Queensland, but across the nation.
Sharon Huzzard, the General Manager of Health, Safety, Environment and Quality (HSEQ) at Centurion says keeping our people and other road users safe is at the heart of everything we do.
“The Fatal Five are embodied in Centurion’s THINK 10 Principles, which reflect our critical risks and provide the foundation for behaviours, to ensure our people go home safely every day.”
Fatigue Management
Nick Marsden, Technical Services & Fleet Compliance Manager, says fatigue management is a critical aspect of road safety, particularly for those who drive for extended periods, such as truck drivers.
“Fatigued driving impairs cognitive skills and motor functions and can lead to severe consequences, comparable to those with impaired driving due to alcohol or drugs,” said Mr Marsden.
Warning signs of driver fatigue include:
- Frequent yawning
- Heavy eyelids
- Restlessness
- Lapses in attention or delayed reactions
- Wandering over the road
- Missing traffic signals.
“Managing fatigue includes getting adequate sleep before driving, scheduling regular breaks during long trips, eating healthily, staying hydrated, avoiding peak fatigue times, and being aware of the cumulative effect of sleep deprivation,” said Mr Marsden.
It involves strategies to recognise and mitigate fatigue to maintain high levels of alertness and performance.
Centurion’s Road Safety Commitment
Centurion holds both National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme and Western Australian Heavy Vehicle Accreditation for fatigue management and has implemented comprehensive Fatigue Management Systems to help ensure the wellbeing and safety of our workers.
Centurion’s safe work procedures and processes to support our driver’s safety on the road include:
- Zero tolerance to Drugs and Alcohol, which is supported by a comprehensive drugs and alcohol testing program.
- In vehicle monitoring systems fitted to all heavy vehicles.
- Driver fatigue and distraction monitoring.
- Driver verification of competency assessments.
- Use critical risk management tools tailored to high-risk tasks, to ensure they are safely completed according to our safe work procedures.
This week’s initiative plays a pivotal role in encouraging safe driving behaviours and reducing the likelihood of accidents on our roads.
We encourage you to join Queensland’s collaborative effort to improving road safety and saving lives by sharing this information and driving responsibly.