By Kath Gannaway
Healesville SES’s Driver Reviver van has been a welcome and familiar sight over the years for drivers coming home over the Black Spur on long weekends, but this Sunday the van will be at a new location on the Melba Highway at Castella.
The Australia Day weekend is another long-weekend where the Victorian State Emergency Service (VICSES) will have hundreds of volunteers out offering coffee, tea and snacks at roadside locations to encourage drivers to stop, rest and refresh.
The program tackles fatigue and the aim, as always, is that everyone arrives safely at their destination.
Fatigue is one of the big killers on Victorian roads and Driver Reviver sites offer a place for motorists to take a break, enjoy a free coffee, tea or snack, and have a chat to the volunteers who in Healesville’s case include Geoff Stott, Monica Hayes and Kobi, the popular unit mascot.
A good night’s sleep before travelling, taking care while driving and planning your journey to include stops on the way are SES-recommended strategies for reducing driver fatigue and resulting crashes.
Healesville SES volunteers are no strangers to the carnage and heartbreak that results from road crashes, and it’s a no-brainer for them, serving up a free cuppa and having a friendly chat is the only way they want to meet up with drivers and their passengers on Sunday, 28 January.
The Driver Reviver van will be located at Castella Central Park, off the Melba Highway at the intersection with the Healesville-Kinglake Road in Castella.
The park has plenty of parking, water and public toilets.
The VICSES Driver Reviver message is simple; Stop, Revive and Survive.
