For release 18 June 2012

Road Safety operation shows drug use rife in the heavy vehicle industry

Operation AUSTRANS, targeting fatigue, drug use and other road safety issues among the heavy vehicle road transport sector, has shown that drug use is rife in the heavy vehicle industry with 140 drug driving offenders intercepted this May.

CEO of the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA), Jon White is dismayed at the large number of drivers apprehended for drug driving during the operation. He said that drug abuse by drivers appears to be influenced by tight deadlines and stiff competition.

“One of the biggest risks for heavy vehicle drivers is fatigue. Some drivers are still resorting to using drugs in order to cover long distances in as short a time as possible. In an industry where if you’re late you could lose the next job or possibly your employment – some drivers feel they have to use stimulants to be able to meet deadlines,” said Mr White.

Taking drugs, such as methamphetamines, affect drivers’ physical skills such as reaction times, co-ordination and vehicle control, but also affects their mood, perception, information processing and judgement.

“Drug use can make it difficult to predict and judge how driving is affected until it’s too late. There is no quick fix for fatigue. The only way to fix fatigue is to stop and sleep or take a long break, or better still, manage work and rest in a way which avoids fatigue,” said Mr White.

There have been ongoing efforts by the industry to improve safety standards. However a number of employers still seem to be complicit in breaking health and safety laws.

“Employers have access to logbooks, scheduling, timetables and rosters. If a driver is covering long distances in too short a time, or driving for longer periods than is allowed, they must be cutting corners somewhere, by either not resting, or using drugs to stay awake. Employers are likely to be aware of this and can be held legally liable and face hefty penalties” said Mr White.

Research from the Australian Transport Council and the New Zealand Ministry of Transport show that heavy vehicles account for 18 per cent of all road fatalities equating to 250 deaths in Australia and 65 deaths in New Zealand every year, even though heavy vehicles make up around just 4% of the vehicles on the road.

Operation AUSTRANS is a collaborative multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional enforcement operation targeting fatigue, drug use and other road safety issues among the heavy vehicle road transport sector.

AUSTRANS has run for over 20 years and includes participating agencies from policing, transport and safety authorities across Australia and New Zealand . Figures for the past three years can be viewed here: http://www.anzpaa.orgau/current-initiatives/operation-austrans.

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Notes to the Editor:

Every year throughout May, police across Australia and New Zealand participate in Operation AUSTRANS – a collaborative multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional enforcement operation to target road safety issues amongst the heavy vehicle road transport sector including fatigue, speed and drug use.

To find out more information on AUSTRANS please visit http://www.anzpaa.org.au/current-initiatives/operation-austrans

For road safety statistics please go to http://www.anzpaa.org.au/current-initiatives/operation-crossroads/road-policing-statistics

About Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA)

Established in October 2007, Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA) is a joint initiative of the Australian and New Zealand Police Ministers and Commissioners.

ANZPAA provides strategic policy and research advice and secretariat services on cross jurisdictional policing initiatives to help achieve policing excellence and enhance community safety throughout Australia and New Zealand . ANZPAA is a non operational policing agency.

Participating Agencies

Operation AUSTRANS involves a range of police, road, transport and safety authorities throughout Australia and New Zealand . These include ACT Policing, New South Wales Police Force, New Zealand Police, Northern Territory Police, Queensland Police Service, South Australia Police, Tasmania Police, Victoria Police and Western Australia Police. Road, Transport and Safety Agencies include the Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure (DTEI) SA, VicRoads, Roads and Traffic Authority NSW, Main Roads WA, Transport and Main Roads QLD, Workplace Health and Safety Qld, Safework SA, Worksafe Victoria and Worksafe WA and the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA).

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