Pushing for safer interactions between passenger vehicles and those transporting grain and hay from nearby paddocks, targeted messaging will be activated from October 17 at key Central West pinch points.
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Electronic message signs will be installed roadside at Moree, Bellata, Gilgandra, Trangie, Condobolin, Parkes and Forbes where heavy vehicles and farm machinery being used for harvest will be at its peak.
Messaging on these signs targeting drivers involved in harvest will include ‘Wear a seatbelt, demerits and fines apply,’ as well as ‘Don’t die for a deadline’ and ‘Stop, revive, survive’.
Transport for NSW Director West Alistair Lunn says while this machinery might be slow-moving, it’s important to remember that nobody wants to hold up traffic.
“We all want to get home safely at the end of each day,” he says.
“The reality is, 85 per cent of fatal crashes on country roads involve a country resident. We all have a part to play in keeping each other safe.”
Sharing the network with these operators are motorists in the community, who will also be reminded of the role they play in keeping the roads safe during this busy time; their messaging will include, ‘Be aware around trucks. Can they see you?’ and ‘Be aware around trucks. Use extra caution.’
The campaign supported by Transport for NSW, GrainCorp, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator and state farming networks is focused on making harvest season as safe as possible.
Lunn says harvest season is an exciting, but exhausting time of year for the state’s cropping communities, as they combine regular farm work with getting grain to the silo.
“The combination of long days and heavy machinery could end badly unless all operators are aware of the dangers of fatigue and are doing all they can to manage it.”
“Studies have shown that being awake for 17 hours has a similar effect on your performance and reaction time behind the wheel as a blood alcohol content of 0.05, so we ask all drivers to ensure you are well rested before starting your journey and allow plenty of travel time.”
“If you feel tired while driving or experience any of the early warning signs such as yawning, restlessness or sore eyes, pull over in a safe place and have a rest.”
Lunn says it’s not only harvest vehicle operators who have to take extra care.
“The harvest period coincides with school holidays, which is a time when we see plenty of caravanners travelling on our rural and regional roads,” he says.
“Our roads are there to share and this mix of farming machinery, grain trucks and other traffic along major freight and travel routes makes that message more important than ever.”
“All drivers need to be road safe and take proper breaks to manage fatigue. We all need to look out for each other. So, take care and be truck aware.”
Key pinch points for large vehicles during harvest in the Central West include:
- Moree – Newell highway opposite the cement silos
- Moree – Newell Highway just north of Skinners Creek
- Bellata – Newell Highway just north of Bellata
- Bellata – Newell Highway just north of Oak Street
- Gilgandra – Newell Highway about 500 metres north of Railway Street
- Gilgandra – Newell Highway about 2.2 kilometres south of Railway Street
- Coonamble – Castlereagh Highway about 40 metres after the 50 km/h speed zone sign
- Coonamble – 250 metres south from Castlereagh Highway before the Back Gular Road
- Trangie – Mitchell Highway 650 metres west of Ashgrove Road
- Trangie – Mitchell Highway Mitchell Highway about 50 metres east of the bridge (upon the approach from Narromine)
- Condobolin – Melrose Road opposite the tennis courts
- Condobolin – Melrose Road about 300 metres north of Kiacatoo Road
- Parkes – Newell Highway about 50 metres after the hospital intersection merge lane ends
- Parkes – Eugowra Road about 1.5 kilometres south of GrainCorp entrance
- Parkes – Eugowra Road about 250 metres south of Military Road
- Forbes – Reymond Street just before the bridge over Lachlan River
- Forbes – Lachlan Valley Way heading towards Forbes 150 metres from the Henry Lawson Way intersection.
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