Driver Tiredness

The Dangers

Many road traffic accidents are caused by someone falling asleep at the wheel. These mostly involve running off the road or into the back of another vehicle.
Sleep-related crashes are particularly dangerous and likely to result in serious injury because the driver won't brake or take other avoidance measures before the impact.
If you 'doze off' for just two seconds while driving at 80 kilometres per hour, your vehicle will have travelled over 40 metres with no-one in control.

Avoid driving in the early hours of the morning, between midnight and 6 a.m., when your body would normally expect to be asleep.
Never set off on a journey if you're already feeling sleepy.
Stop for a fifteen minute break every two hours when making a long journey.
Avoid driving more than nine hours a day.
If you start to feel sleepy while travelling:
1. Find a safe place to stop, away from high speed traffic.
2. Drink 2 cups of coffee, or a high caffeine drink (unless you have a medical condition that means you should avoid caffeine).
3. Take a short nap and resume your journey 20 minutes later, if safe to do so.
Be aware that opening the window to get a breeze, turning down the temperature of the air conditioning, or turning up the car radio will have little impact on stopping you falling asleep.
Be aware that some types of medicine can make you drowsy and slow your reactions. These include strong painkillers, anti-depressants, antihistamines and tranquillisers. If taking medication, check the instructions or ask at the pharmacy.