Travelling in remote areas

This is a guide only — all staff should follow their own organisations travel policy

Attention

  • Motoring deaths in remote are most commonly single vehicle roll-overs caused by driving too fast or driver fatigue, often while not wearing a seat belt
  • Weather, road/sea and vehicle/boat conditions, driver tiredness and inexperience make remote travel more dangerous than urban travel
  • Treat remote travel seriously and follow procedures, even on short trips. If you do not, you will endanger yourself, your patients and people who go to look for you

Two essential safety precautions for travelling in remote areas

  1. Carry enough drinking water for you and your passengers, as well as fuel, spare tyre and tools
  2. Give person/service at destination an estimated time of arrival (ETA) and route details
  • Do not change your travel plans or route once you have given an ETA without telling the person expecting you. Not turning up when expected may be the only sign that you are in trouble and need rescuing and they will need to know where to look

What you need to know

About the vehicle (or boat)

  • Where spare set of vehicle keys kept
  • Organisational policies regarding use of the vehicle
  • If it has been regularly serviced
  • How to
    • Do a basic vehicle or boat check 
    • Fill both tanks with fuel, change over tanks, prime fuel pump
    • Check spare tyre, change a tyre, use jack/tools
    • Change tyre pressure for hard/soft surfaces
    • Use 4-wheel-drive gears, engage hubs
    • Set up UHF/HF radio antenna, use radio or satellite phone
    • Troubleshoot marine engines

Basic safe driving principles

  • Do not eat/drink, use radio/phone, change music when driving
  • Keep both hands on wheel at 10 and 2 o'clock positions
  • Don’t wrap thumbs around steering wheel. If you hit a big rock and wheel spins suddenly, it can break your thumbs
  • Keep your eyes on the road when talking
  • Wear seat belts, use baby/child restraints
  • Don’t drive when tired, upset or hungry. Wait until next day if necessary

Dirt roads are always dangerous

  • Recommended maximum speed for 4-wheel-drive ambulances on dirt or gravel is 80km/hr
  • Adjust speed to allow for slippery conditions in the wet or for poor road surfaces — eg bull dust, corrugations
  • Never drive outside your personal level of skill (comfort zone). Drive at 60km/hr all the way if you want to. Don’t let passengers pressure you
  • Colleagues also have the right to tell you if they don’t feel safe with your driving skills
  • Try not to drive at night or into setting sun. If it can’t be avoided — take someone with you to help watch out for livestock and native animals

What you need

Properly equipped vehicle

  • Spare tyre
  • Fit for purpose jack and wheel brace
  • Adequate drinking water for all vehicle occupants
  • First aid kit and other emergency equipment — eg fire extinguisher and emergency triangle
  • Appropriate communication device — eg mobile phone, satellite phone
  • When travelling longer distances, or to very remote areas, consider adding the below equipment
    • Second spare tyre
    • Additional food and water supplies
    • Other communication device including any charging requirements — eg UHF radio, personal locator beacon (spot tracker/ EPIRB/ GPS)
    • Vehicle recovery equipment — eg snatch strap and shackles
    • Vehicle emergency breakdown equipment, including spare parts
    • Long range fuel tank or supplementary fuel

Properly equipped boat

  • Working engine/motor
  • Bungs in right places
  • Radio/communications
  • Compass, other navigational aids
  • Safety equipment
    • Lifejackets, V-sheet, first aid kit
    • Flares, water dye, Emergency Positioning Infra Red Beacon (EPIRB)
    • Tarpaulin — to use as a makeshift sail or temporary cover
    • Oars, anchor, ropes
    • Torch, mirror

What you do before travelling

Vehicle check

  • Fuel. If 2 tanks, fill both. Use alpine grade diesel in cold climates
  • Fan belt tight
  • Radiator and battery water, hydraulic fluid levels
  • Clean windscreen and lights
  • Tyres and spares — inflated, minimum 3mm tread, wheel nuts tight but able to be undone
  • Wheel-changing gear, tools, safety equipment for your area
  • First aid kit, torch
  • Make sure following are working — UHF/HF radio or satellite phone, lights, brakes, wipers, dash instruments, trip meter, horn

Boat check

  • Bungs in place
  • Fuel — full tanks plus half as much again as spare
  • Correct load — do not overload
  • Radio/satellite phone, compass and/or navigational aids all working
  • Safety equipment on board

Personal check

  • Enough water and food for driver and passengers. When travelling in remote, dry, hot areas take extra drinking water. Will be needed if you have to wait for help or change a tyre
  • Sun protection — cream, hat, sunglasses etc
  • Personal breakdown kit — small torch, matches, sunscreen, snack food, fishing tackle, multi-purpose penknife, insect repellent, book etc

Weather and conditions check

  • Check weather and road/sea conditions with local people, police and/or road/maritime services
  • Allow for road/sea/weather conditions when making your ETA

Make a travel plan

Before and during the trip

  • Work out which route to take, who will come with you
  • Tell person/service at your destination
    • Time you expect to depart (ETD)
    • Time you expect to arrive (ETA)
    • Remember:  Allow an extra 1½–2 hours for tyre changes or problems
  • Plan a halfway stop to take a break and call person/service with UHF/HF radio or satellite phone to let them know where you are, everything is OK

As you are leaving

  • Set trip meter, so that if there are any incidents on the road, you can tell emergency services your exact distance from base
  • Make sure you, your passengers, patients on stretchers are all wearing seat belts, restraining belts

At end of trip

  • Tell person/service at destination you have arrived. Searches have been conducted for people who were safe at home but forgot to report in

Tips to avoid driving tired

Before you drive

  • Get a good night sleep
  • Avoid driving at night
  • Arrange to share driving if you can
  • Plan to take regular breaks from driving (use rest areas)
  • Find out if any medicine you are taking may affect your driving
  • Monitor your level of alertness and concentration 

If you feel tired when driving

  • Pull over for a break in a safe place
  • Pull over for a nap (20 minutes works best)
  • Even if you don’t feel tired, take regular breaks to avoid becoming tired
  • Remember that sleep is the only way to overcome tiredness
  • Swap drivers if you can

Accidents and breakdowns
  • Use UHF/HF radio or satellite phone to arrange emergency recovery vehicle
  • If UHF/HF radio or phone damaged in accident — need to wait until ETA passed and people come looking for you
  • If passing vehicle stops — use their radio/phone or send message with them but stay with your vehicle

ALWAYS follow these basic rules

  • Stay with vehicle. Do not try to walk for help
  • Find nearby shade, conserve water
  • If you think aircraft might be searching for you — clear some ground and mark SOS in big letters. Use clothes, rocks, colourful equipment, etc
  • If aircraft flies overhead — run/walk quickly across ground waving your arms to attract attention
  • If you have absolutely no choice but to leave vehicle — leave note telling rescuers direction you headed, day and time you left, how you will mark trail — eg ‘Will leave red-coloured cloth in branches of mulga trees’