Drivers travelling along western New South Wales region roads over the next three months are being encouraged to stop, take a break and receive a free cuppa.
It’s all part of the multi award winning Free Cuppa for the Driver scheme.
Local businesses across Western NSW are poised and ready to serve drivers with a free cup of tea or coffee.
The businesses have teamed up with fourteen local councils and Roads and Maritime Services to promote fatigue awareness on most roads stretching from Bathurst to Moree and beyond.
The Free Cuppa for the Driver scheme is an initiative of Bathurst Regional, Blayney, Cabonne, Dubbo City, Forbes, Gilgandra, Gwydir, Lachlan, Moree Plains, Narrabri, Orange City, Parkes, Warrumbungle and Wellington Shire Councils.
The scheme will run from March 1 to May 31 2015, which includes the Easter long weekend and the April school holidays.
Dubbo City Councils’ Road Safety Officer, Jayne Bleechmore said the local businesses who sell tea and coffee and are open a variety of different trading hours.
“There are 70 participating businesses throughout the Western Region, with eight of those from the Dubbo local government area.
“This is an amazing testament to the good will of businesses in our cities, towns and villages.”
“Decals in shop windows, bali banners and sign boards will clearly identify the participating businesses and roadside banners will be installed on the outskirts of participating towns to encourage drivers to take a break.”
Fatigue crashes accounted for over 12 percent of all crashes in the participating council areas over the last five years.
These crashes resulted in 52 fatalities and 1284 injuries.
Visiting drivers will need to produce their driver’s licence to be entitled to their free cuppa and verify that they are not from the local area as a 100-kilometre exclusion zone applies.
An exciting new innovation to the scheme this year will see the launch of a free smartphone App.
The App will not only display participating businesses details (including opening hours) but it will direct travellers to the premises through GPS technology.
New this year is a Selfie Competition.
To participate, drivers simply take a selfie while enjoying their free cuppa and upload their photo to the Free Cuppa for the Driver Facebook page for the chance to win $200 worth of fuel vouchers.
As a further incentive to take part in the scheme drivers will be eligible to go into the draw to win a GPS navigator and fuel vouchers to the value of $300.
