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Driver Fatigue - A Very Real Danger...
This year, I've been privileged to have featured in a number of BBC Radio shows, talking about the lethal dangers of Driver Fatigue, and the tragedies that can result. This link should open into a recording of my latest live studio chat with BBC Radio Hereford & Gloucester's Elliott Webb, last Wednesday morning...
If you can't get it to play (maybe you aren't a Facebook user?), please let me know, and I'll try another method of linking it.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=3560308982609
Comments
Yes BLZ, congratulations on your work and thanks for sharing.
Businesses are often to blame, expecting people to drive long distances, do a day's work, and drive home again, rather than spend out on a night in a hotel. Mr Bear had to do that regularly; they used to pay for accommodation, then stopped, and he would get home beyond exhausted. Poole to Leicestershire and back was bad enough in a day - add in the work time spent there, and it was ludicrous.
For the last 15 years of my working life I was a (very unwilling) van driver, very often out before 6.00am and sometimes not back until 7.30 -8.00pm. I've had day trips that took me from Worcester to the London area, through to Essex, then up the East coast as far as Norwich for my last drop at about 5.00pm, leaving me with 150 miles to do to get home. Similarly day trips to the North East. I've started back to drive home to Worcester at 6.00pm-ish from Easington Colliery, Co Durham, God knows how far that is. Knackered wasn't the word. There are no maximum hours for van drivers, and if you're unlucky enough to be trapped in to working for a cowboy operator you have to keep moving. Most days I never got a lunch break, though there were times when I just had to pull over and cat nap. Looking back, I can't believe I never had a serious bump.
Sorry for the whinge, I'd forgotten what an awful time that was.
If you're having trouble with the Facebook link (you have to have a Facebook account to view it, I believe), we'll see if this link works...:
http://s1230.photobucket.com/user/beelzebub1/media/Driving%20Videos/BBCDriverFatigue_zps5da5aa5e.mp4.html
I think I might've posted this somewhere else on this forum, but it's the full story, as published online...
http://www.platform505.com/driver-fatigue-its-a-killer/
We are very careful now...
Make sure they send a taxi for you!
For Facebook users, here's a link to a 4-minute taster video of myself "in action", filmed by my wife; the whole presentation was actually 40 minutes!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=3710711302573
Well done for spreading the word. You come across very well.
You could hear the audience become still as you talked - i think you did brilliantly.
I found it OK once I got into stride and only faltered once about half-way through over a point I wanted to make...but forgot, dammit!!! Next time out, I'll be armed with a 'bullet-point' list as a memory prompt (I started writing that as soon as I got home, that evening!) to avert such hiccups again...
I've presented the talk (and the old works video) to colleagues several times, and I've noticed that they always stop grunting, snorting & muttering to mates as soon as I put up the first crash-scene photos; they always pull collective deep gasp; shock effect, extreme! Certainly drives the message home (if you'll pardon the poor pun)...
Onwards and outwards, now... ;-)