The Road Safety Authority and Topaz are again encouraging all drivers undertaking long journeys on this Bank Holiday weekend to be fully aware of the dangers of driver fatigue.
Driver fatigue, known as the ‘silent killer’ is believed to be a contributory factor in up to 20% of road deaths in Ireland. As part of the ‘Driver Reviver’ campaign Topaz provides free coffee to drivers on Bank Holiday Fridays at over 130 participating sites nationwide. Any drivers feeling tired are advised to pull over, grab a coffee and have a short nap before resuming their journeys.
Free coffee will be available to motorists at participating sites this Friday 29th of April. Topaz expects to give away up to 20,000 coffees in total over the two successive Bank Holiday Weekends.
A recent survey by the AA showed that motorists are generally slow to take action when tired, with under 20% saying they pulled over to take a nap when tired. The figure dropped to under 10% for the 17 – 24 age category
Paul Candon, Marketing and Corporate Services Director at Topaz said: “The survey shows that awareness of driver fatigue is still very low. We will continue to support this life-saving campaign with the RSA and to help raise awareness of the serious consequences of driver fatigue. All drivers have to do is show their car keys to staff and request a free coffee. Posters advertising the free coffees will be in place outside all participating stations.”