Applegreen to provide free cups of coffee to tired drivers on Friday 16 and Monday 19 March.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) and Applegreen have teamed up again to help drivers to combat the effects of driver fatigue over St Patricks Bank Holiday Weekend by providing free cups of coffee to drivers between 2pm and 8pm on Friday 16 March and Monday 19 March. Simply say ‘RSA’ to the till operator to avail of a free coffee.

This is the 6th year of this hugely successful partnership which in 2017 saw over 10,000 cups of coffee handed out FREE! to tired drivers over four bank holiday weekends.

It is estimated that driver fatigue is a contributory factor in as many as 1 in 5 driver deaths in Ireland. Furthermore, tiredness-related collisions are 3 times more likely to be fatal or result in a serious injury because of the high impact speed and lack of avoiding action.

To combat the effects of driver fatigue, the RSA advises drivers to Stop, Sip, Sleep:

•         Stop: Park in a safe place.

•         Sip: Drink a caffeine drink like a cup of coffee

•         Sleep. Set the alarm on your mobile phone and take a 15 minute nap.
After the nap get some fresh air and stretch your legs for a few minutes, the caffeine should have started to take effect by then.

By following all of the above advice you should be able to drive for another hour or so. But remember the only cure for a chronic lack of sleep is sleep.

Ms Moyagh Murdock, Chief Executive, Road Safety Authority said “A Bank holiday weekend is a high risk period for road-users as there are typically more people using the roads, travelling greater distances and often in places that they are unfamiliar with. Therefore the potential to become tired while driving increases. Our advice is to Stop, Sip, Sleep, pull over as soon as you start to feel tired – don’t think that you can shake it off by opening the window or turning up the radio, you can’t. Pull over, drink a caffeinated drink and take a 15 minute nap. When you wake up, the caffeine should have taken effect, allowing you to drive for another hour or so.”

Conor Lucey, Head of Retail Operations, Applegreen said: “We are delighted to partner with the Road Safety Authority again in 2018, for the sixth year in a row on this life saving initiative to help improve driver safety on our roads this St Patrick’s weekend. As a proud Irish company, Applegreen service stations across Ireland have provided thousands of free cups of coffee to drivers since this partnership started, helping to reduce the incidences of driver fatigue on Irish roads. Road safety is very important to us, so we are proud to be involved in this campaign that contributes to safer driving and safer roads.”

To date this year 30 people have been killed on Irish roads, a decrease of 6 when compared to the same period last year.