Santa and his reindeer are fine, but we all know that the real heroes of Christmas are the hardworking truckies delivering presents, not in one night, but all throughout December and those keeping the supermarket shelves stocked.
2020 has already been one of the busiest years on record for the road freight industry and this Christmas is expected to throw a few more challenges at drivers than usual thanks to COVID-19 and a particularly temperamental La-Nina which is expected to bring more rain, storms, and extreme weather over the summer months.
But NatRoad Chief Executive Officer, Warren Clark said this is such an important time to take care on the road.
“With overseas travel restrictions due to the pandemic and state governments encouraging people to support regional tourism by holidaying locally, record numbers of holiday travellers are predicted to be travelling to holiday and regional areas over the Christmas-New Year period.
Transport Authorities around the country are warning all road users to expect heavy traffic and potential delays on routes leading out of major city centres.
To ensure you return safely to your family we remind members why they need to be alert:
- It goes without saying that more vehicles on the road means a higher risk of crashes.
- Many of the people on the road around you are driving on unfamiliar roads.
- People who are not experienced long distance drivers are driving long hours to get to where they are going and may have started their journey in a tired state – often early morning or late evening after work.
- Increased stress from factors such as heat, traffic jams, noisy children, and general tiredness.
- People on holiday may be less vigilant about road safety, e.g. speeding, driving when tired, not buckling up.
- There is more drink-driving during holiday periods.
A great initiative to support over the Christmas season is the NHVR’s ‘Tell a Mate’ campaign. The ‘Tell a Mate’ safety campaign encourages heavy vehicle drivers to chat to their mates about things like fatigue, driving safely around trucks and etiquette around using truck rest stops; and to help deliver the message the NHVR teamed up with Shane Jacobson, one of Australia’s most well-known television personalities.
Heavy vehicle safety is everyone’s business, and we know simple conversations can make a big difference. Help spread the message by telling a mate to think about heavy vehicle safety while they’re on the roads.
The NHVR has published a range of materials to share as a reminder to stay safe on the roads and can be accessed by following the links below:
