Canberra, Australia: Two rest areas in remote South Australia have been newly built or upgraded under a 4.25-million-Australian-dollar (about 2.77 million U.S. dollars) project aimed at reducing driver fatigue and improving road safety, the federal government announced on Friday.
According to a joint statement by the federal and South Australian governments, major works have been completed on a new heavy vehicle rest area along Olympic Dam Highway at Pimba and an upgrade of an existing rest area along Stuart Highway at Arcoona.
The project, jointly funded by the two governments, is expected to improve safety for approximately 950 vehicles, including 330 heavy vehicles, that travel past the sites daily.
Both rest areas can accommodate four triple road trains at a time, with separate parking spaces available for smaller vehicles.
Federal Assistant Minister for Regional Development Anthony Chisholm said driver fatigue was one of the most significant contributors to serious incidents involving heavy vehicles.
"We know that fatigue is one of the most significant contributors to serious incidents involving heavy vehicles," he said.
The Stuart Highway stretches approximately 2,700 km between Port Augusta in South Australia and Darwin in the Northern Territory, serving as a major transport, agriculture, mining and tourism corridor.
According to the statement, 51 crashes were reported on a section of the highway between 2020 and 2024, resulting in four deaths and eight serious injuries
