Dunsborough Police launch campaign with coffee shops to stamp out fatigued driving

Dunsborough Police are aiming to stamp out fatigued driving with coffee cups reminding drivers to not “drift off”. The Don’t Drift Off coffee cups will be used by coffee-drinkers in the region in a Dunsborough police collaboration with local businesses such as The Cure on Commonage Road and The Pour House on Dunn Bay Road. The campaign hopes to reinforce the need for alertness and caution on country roads, where officer-in-charge Sgt Jon Adams said fatigue is a major killer. “Fatigue is one of the fatal five common factors we see causing serious and fatal crashes on WA roads, especially in regional areas such as ours,” he said. “(The) Don’t Drift Off (campaign) reminds drivers of the importance of staying awake, alert and taking breaks where necessary.” Statistics from the Road Safety Commission show there have been 16 road fatalities in the South West compared to 11 at the same time last year, with 2023 a particularly road-safe year with 18 fatalities in the full calendar year. The stats show between 2014-2023, 63 per cent of fatal crashes in the South West involved a single vehicle and fatigue was said to be a main contributing factor in these crashes, after speed. Sgt Adams said those driving long distances — particularly while down south on holidays — needed to stay vigilant. “With people like truck drivers, or people on long journeys, on holidays with the kids in the back, you really need to stay alert on our roads,” he said. “One of the things we and the Road Safety Commission have been promoting is the power nap. If you’re feeling tired, there’s nothing wrong with pulling in to somewhere safe and having a 20-minute power nap, and they say it has really great benefits. “One of the studies we looked at, they reckon if you’ve been awake for 17 to 19 hours and you drive, it’s like you’re driving with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.05.” Sgt Adams said the support for the coffee-cup program has seen a strong take-up so far. “I’ve just had to put another order in for another 2000 cups,” he said. “The Cure ran out of them so quickly, they’re proving really popular. “It seems as though we’re getting good feedback from people in the community, so that’s awesome.”