10 January 2013

Driver Fatigue Key Focus Over Holidays

Driver fatigue continues to be a focus for road safety agencies over the holiday period.

Waikato District Council road safety co-ordinator Megan Jolly said many people are quick to think of speed and alcohol as key road safety issues, but fatigue is also a killer on our roads.

Pre-Christmas, the council, police, Ngaruawahia volunteer fire brigade and Huntly and Ngaruawahia St John carried out driver fatigue promotions on State Highway 1 in Ngaruawahia and Huntly. Approximately 1200 Motorists were stopped briefly by the police, with volunteers from the emergency services handing out information on how to avoid driver fatigue.

“The key message was to ‘catch up on lost sleep’ before you set out on holiday, and to have frequent breaks when driving long distances. Drivers were also advised to pull over and have a 20 minute power nap if they were driving tired.

“We sweetened up the message for motorists by handing out KitKat chocolate bars with the slogan ‘have a break have a KitKat,’ Ms Jolly said. The KitKats were sponsored by Nestle.

The fatigue stops were also supported by Fulton Hogan and the NZ Transport Agency.

Overseas research suggests that up to 25 per cent of all fatal crashes could be fatigue related.

Data from 2007-2011 suggests that fatigue related crashes are trending down in the Waikato region. However over the same period there has been 194 serious fatigue related crashes that included 60 deaths.

Motorists who find themselves driving tired are advised to either swap drivers or pull over for a power nap.
ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>