Driver fatigue is arguably the major contributor to road trauma on highways in Central and Western Queensland. In response, a number of Queensland Government departments*, in partnership with CQUniversity, have embarked on a major research project to better understand the problem and potential solutions.

Professor Lee Di Milia

The University's involvement is led by Professor Lee Di Milia, with survey assistance from Christine Hanley and her team at our Population Research Laboratory.

A central part of the project is collecting information from motorists on travel patterns, personal approaches to managing fatigue, and other road safety attitudes.

In conjunction with routine RBT operations, police officers are directing motorists to roadside research stations on the Capricorn, Bruce and Dawson Highways over the next few weeks.

Brief contact details are collected at the roadside, with motorists given the option of participating in a follow-up interview over the phone with CQUniversity researchers.

Participation is voluntary and all information collected is completely anonymous.

A spokesperson for Transport & Main Roads is urging all motorists approached to take part in this important process and "do their bit for road safety in our region".

"This project has the potential to bring together industry, government, community and the university sectors to address a shared social problem".

The end goal is to identify opportunities to reduce driver fatigue through a number of means, including driver education, improvements to the road environment, and informed personal and occupational approaches to fatigue management. 

* Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation; Transport & Main Roads and Queensland Police Service.