ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines driving experience leads to an appreciation of the signs of impending fatigue and the development of compensatory strategies to deal with it. It highlights the variety of freight transported, freight management practices and the versatility required of drivers. The book suggests that after several hours of driving, rest has only a temporary benefit rather than permitting complete restitution. It focuses on rural roads in Western Australia since they carry much freight, often have a gravel surface or shoulder and are characteristically monotonous for long distances possibly disposing drivers to reduced attentiveness and drowsiness. The book provides a finer grained analysis of single-vehicle accidents on rural roads in Western Australia and argues that they are under-reported. It describes a simple decelerometer signalling system which indicates to following vehicles, and to the vehicle’s driver, the rate of deceleration due to braking.
