In a first for the Northern Territory, Katherine Town Council has constructed roadside trivia signs to combat driver fatigue.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The first sign in a sequence poses a trivia question which is answered on a further sign down the road. On long stretches, a 'hint' sign is often included in the middle.
Katherine Town Council CEO, Ingrid Stonhill, said many Katherine residents would frequently drive the 600 km round trip to Darwin and back in a day.
"The Stuart Highway between Katherine and Darwin doesn't have enough rest stops or overtaking lanes, making it a long drive without breaks to complete in a day," she said.
"Research shows on a long road trip, the closer drivers are to home, they start to relax and consequently are more at risk of succumbing to fatigue, contributing to road accidents.
Ms Stonhill said the northern Katherine Town Council boundary was at the 40-kilometre mark, in the Edith Falls area.
"It is in that zone that residents returning home to Katherine start to relax but can also become frustrated by the lack of overtaking opportunities when they get stuck behind a road train or caravan," she said, adding that interstate evidence showed that strategically located trivia signs could help keep drivers stay alert as they ponder the trivia question and look out for the next sign with a hint or the answer.
Katherine Mayor, Lis Clark, said she was proud that Council was focussing on residents' safety across all aspects of life in the region.
"The driver reviver signs are not new and are well used in many other Australian states, but this initiative by Katherine Town Council is a first for the NT," she said.
In the first instance, signs have been installed north of Katherine, but Ms Clark said Katherine Town Council would be looking at other highway locations in the future.
NT Road Transport Association Executive Officer, Louise Bilato, said she was delighted to see the council take a novel approach to road safety messaging.
"Strategies such as this one may be the difference between a loved-one's life saved or lost so it is very much welcomed by the road transport industry," she said.
"The industry is acutely aware that fatigue-related crashes are three times more likely to be fatal because drivers who fall asleep at the wheel do not brake."
The trivia questions were selected by Katherine Town Council elected members.