Driver fatigue campaign
Driving Tired Kills
Driver fatigue related content:
Driving tired can be dangerous
Driver fatigue causes hundreds of road accidents each year. And these accidents are roughly 50% more likely1 to result in death or serious injury. When drivers fall asleep, the police find no signs of braking, or any avoiding actions, so they tend to result in higher-speed collisions.
We all know we shouldn’t drive when we’re too tired, but sometimes weather, logistics, lack of alternatives or time constraints2 mean we do anyway. However, driving while fatigued or sleepy leads to significant impairment of our driving performance3, increases reaction times and reduces attention, compromising decision-making and our ability to control the vehicle. It’s incredibly risky.
Drink a coffee. Have a rest. And survive.
Tackling tiredness myths
Drivers regularly use countermeasures to tackle their tiredness, such as stopping for a walk, opening a window or turning on the radio. But these don’t work. While taking a quick break or drinking a caffeinated drink can make a short-term difference, it’s a very temporary measure. The sleepiness will keep returning until you’re properly rested. See some of the most common myths around driving when tired below.
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- Fatigue is a contributory factor in around 50 fatal and serious injuries every year in Scotland.4
- In 2019, fatigue was a contributory factor in 2% of all collisions, but in 5% of all road deaths.5
- A quarter of accidents where tiredness was a factor resulted in death.6
- A ‘microsleep’ occurs when someone nods off for between two and 30 seconds without realising or remembering it, often known as head-nodding. It usually happens when people are tired but trying to stay awake, most common in monotonous situations, such as motorway driving at night.
- A person who drives after being awake for 17 hours has impaired driving skills comparable to a driver with a 50mg/100ml blood alcohol level – the legal limit.
- Nearly two-fifths of UK drivers (37%) say they have been so tired they were scared they would fall asleep when driving.7
- Almost half of UK drivers (49%) admitted driving after less than five hours’ sleep, highlighting that many drivers continue to drive when tired.8
- Experts estimate driver fatigue crashes are under-reported, and are likely to account for up to 20 per cent of all UK vehicle collisions, and up to one quarter of fatal and serious crashes.9
Night Driver
You can’t fight sleep. Can you spot the signs of driving tired?
It’s easy to underestimate the risk of actually falling asleep behind the wheel. But it can be fatal. To minimise this risk, follow these top tips:
- Make sure you’re well rested and feeling fit and healthy (and not taking any medication that causes drowsiness).
- Plan your journey and allow sufficient time for the journey and regular breaks.
- Take breaks at appropriate intervals. Do not drive more than 7.5 hours and schedule an overnight stop if your journey is over 12 hours.
- Don’t drive if you feel tired. Pull over in a safe place, drink a coffee, and then take a nap while the caffeine kicks in.
- Avoid driving when you’d normally be sleeping – between about midnight and 6am.
- Be extra careful between 2pm and 4pm (especially after you’ve eaten).
- Be aware of long journeys on monotonous roads, like motorways.
- Plan to take the train or bus instead if you know you’re likely to be tired (e.g. you’ve finished a long shift, or you’ve been out the night before).
- If you suffer from sleep apnoea with excessive sleepiness, you should not drive until your symptoms are under control.10
Comparable to drink-driving
Driving whilst tired can impair your driving skills, just like drink driving does. A person who drives after being awake for 17 hours has impaired driving skills comparable to a driver with a 0.05 mg/ml blood alcohol level. A driver who hasn’t slept for 24 hours has impaired driving skills comparable to a driver with an illegally high blood alcohol concentration of 0.1 g/l3.