Nationals Duty MLC for Cessnock Trevor Khan said the campaign highlights the serious risks of driving while tired.

“It’s shocking to consider that being tired is one of the top three killers on NSW roads, along with speeding and drink driving,” Mr Khan said.

“The Government’s new campaign to air in mainstream media uses the phrase: ‘Not drunk. Not speeding. Just tired’.

“Whether it’s on country roads, city roads, or here in the Cessnock electorate, a crash due to tiredness is twice as likely to kill you as other crashes.

“You can’t brake while you’re asleep – a microsleep for three seconds, at 70 kilometres an hour can see you cover 90 metres of road with your eyes closed.

“We are all busy at this time of the year, trying to get work done before Christmas, cramming as much as we can into the end of the year, so tiredness can set in.

Last year 62 people died and 1959 people were injured on NSW roads in fatigue related crashes. That means there were more deaths due to people driving tired than drink driving.

“We all want the families of the Cessnock electorate to have a safe Christmas,” Mr. Khan said.

“Just consider that being awake for around 17 hours has a similar effect on your driving ability as having a blood alcohol content of 0.05.

“Don’t try to do too much and then put your family in the car to head off on a journey.

“Research also shows your ability to judge how tired you are declines the more tired you become.  So we’ve developed an online test to help people assess how tired they might be.

Mr. Khan urges all motorists to visit the website testyourtiredself.com.au for a simple test based on a series of questions, memory challenges and reaction responses to see how tired you might be.

“It only takes a few minutes but it could save your life,” he said.