The Facts from Drive There Driving School - About Fatigue
- Driver sleepiness is thought to cause at least 10% of all road accidents and 1 in 5 accidents on trunk roads.
- Many of these accidents are work related involving trucks and goods vehicles.
- Most sleep related accidents are on motorways and trunk roads.
- Most sleep related accidents happen when the body’s natural clock is at its low points: between 2am and 6am and mid afternoon between 2pm and 4pm.
- Road accidents relating to sleep are also more likely to result in death and serious injury as the accidents occur when the driver, having fallen asleep, fails to brake.
- Falling asleep at the wheel is preceded by feelings of extreme sleepiness, which drivers are aware of, but often ignore.
- Men aged 18-30 are most at risk, and account for around 50% of sleep related accidents.
- It is considered to claim more lives on the road than alcohol.
- Each year on average, more than 3,000 people are killed and more than 250,000 injured on UK roads, with drowsiness considered to be a major factor.
When you're driving
If for any reason you feel sleepiness or suffer any other symptoms whilst driving, the safety of yourself and your passengers should never be put at risk. If you feel that your driving may be in any way impaired, it is important to stop at a safe place, and prevent any risk to yourself or your passengers.
If you feel tired when you're driving you should:
- Find a safe parking place at the earliest opportunity.
- Drink one or two cans of a functional energy or caffeine drink.
- If possible (eg. at your next break) also take a short nap or doze for no longer than 15 minutes - this also gives the drink time to take effect.
You should not resume driving if you're still sleepy.
Winding down the windows, turning up the radio and exercising
have little effect in overcoming sleepiness.
Ongoing problems
If recurring problems of tiredness arise, seek medical advice.