Driver Fatigue: Sleep Driving

Tiredness affects your ability to concentrate and professional risk analysts believe that fatigue is the reason for many crashes.

Driver sleepiness is thought to cause at least twenty percent of all motorway and trunk road crashes. Most crashes happen between 2am - 6am and mid afternoon between 2pm - 4pm, when the body’s natural clock is set at daily low points.

Falling asleep at the wheel is increasingly preceded by feelings of increasing sleepiness. If you feel tired:

•    get off the road - find a safe parking place
•    take a fifteen minute nap
•    drink one or two cans of energy drink

A can of functional energy drink will almost eliminate this level of sleepiness and sleep related driving impairments for about 90 minutes after being absorbed. But nevertheless, drivers should get adequate sleep, and not see functional energy drinks as a substitute for sleep.

Men are more at risk of having a sleep related crash as they drive faster, have an over-confident image of their driving skills and are less likely to stop and take a break if they feel tired. They will wind down the window, turn up the radio, stretch etc, but drive on. Neither these latter methods nor the willpower to stay awake have much effect in overcoming sleepiness.

•    Avoid long journeys in the morning without a good night’s sleep, or in the evening after a full day’s work.  
•    Plan your journey to include proper breaks. A minimum of at least 10 minutes after every two hours driving is sensible.