“Being awake for around 17 hours has a similar effect on your driving ability as having a blood alcohol content of 0.05 – so it’s just like being over the limit,” said Michelle Doolan, Junee’s road safety officer.

Majority of road incidents around the state are a result of either speed, alcohol, or fatigue, with an over-representation of incidents on country roads.

Last month alone, there were 15 fatalities on the state’s country roads, as compared to eight in the metropolitan cities.

“Country roads can be difficult conditions for people who are unfamiliar with them. Or even if they are familiar with the roads, sometimes they can get complacent when we’re tired,” she said.

With school holidays beginning in just under a fortnight, Ms Doolan wants to remind long-distance drivers to take the necessary precautions to stay safe on the roads.

“What we see during holidays is, people increase the amount of driving they’re doing, they’re usually driving with a full car load and they might not be getting a good amount of sleep,” Ms Doolan said.

“When you combine all those factors, it doesn’t lead to good results. It is vitally important to consider how tired you are before you get behind the wheel.

“Take a 20 minute break every two hours, get out of the car, stretch your legs, walk around, drink some water.”

The onus is on the passengers to also make sure enough rest breaks are being taken to combat the effects of tiredness.

“If you feel your eyes getting heavy, if you’re yawning and feeling yourself getting tired pull over immediately.

“If you’re in the car and you notice your driver is getting tired, highlight it and if it’s possible to do so, swap drivers at the next rest stop.”