Vic motoring club fined after fatal crash

A Melbourne court has ordered Victoria's peak motoring body to pay a fine of $475,000 following the death of a roadside assistance driver in a fatigue-related crash in 2018.

The motoring club was sentenced on Thursday after previously pleading guilty to one charge of failing to ensure that persons other than employees were not exposed to health and safety risks.

The court heard the driver was employed by another company, which was subcontracted by the motoring club to operate a roadside assistance service.

The driver had been working for 17 hours when he ran off the road and struck a tree at Healesville in the early hours of 10 March 2018.

Evidence at the crash site indicated the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel.

The court heard the motoring club did not have safe system of work related to fatigue.

WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Narelle Beer said, "The dangers of fatigue are well known and, as we have tragically seen in this case, managing those risks can be the difference between someone going home at the end of the day or losing their life at work,"

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