By KATH GANNAWAY
SES volunteers from Healesville and Lilydale will be on barrista duty on Easter Monday as part of the Easter Driver Reviver program.
The program which started in 1984 as “Operation Coffee Break” has become an important part of the safety message delivered to drivers around Victoria, particularly on long weekends when fatigue is seen as a significant factor in causing injury and loss of life on the state’s roads.
SESVIC says the busiest times for volunteers at Driver Reviver sites is at the Easter break. Sites at Dom Dom Saddle on the Maroondah Highway between Narbethong and Healesville, and in the drive-through on the highway near Ingrams Road at Coldstream, are strategically positioned to capture drivers returning home after a long, and often, tiring long weekend.
The Driver Reviver sites are now not just a place for drivers to stop and rest but a source of information on local attractions and road conditions.
They’re also a safe place to take a break for people travelling alone.
While it’s the local SES volunteers who will be keeping our roads safe, their colleagues will be offering the same potentially life-saving cuppa to drivers from around the Yarra Valley and the Dandenongs as they make their home from Easter get-aways all around the state.
The program has one aim, to reduce road collisions by alleviating driver fatigue – a significant contributor to vehicle collisions in the state.
Each year, thousands of cups of tea and coffee are served … each one aiming to increase the chances of every road traveller reaching their destination safely.
Check out the SESVIC website before you head off at Easter for sites that are on your road map – www.ses.vic.gov.au/prepare/driver-reviver .
