Why is fatigue dangerous? Also known as the ‘silent killer’, fatigue is dangerous because the symptoms sneak up and affect the driver and their judgement, attention and visual function, quite often before the driver realises.
A tired driver is less alert than other drivers and their reaction time to unforeseen circumstances can increase from 1.5 seconds to 3 seconds or more.
To put it in perspective, a driver who hasn’t slept for 24 hours has a crash risk equivalent to a driver with a 0.10% Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC).
How do you know if you are fatigued? A person who drives tired may experience some or all of the following symptoms:
• Wandering thoughts.
• Missing road signs or exits.
• Slowing unintentionally.
• Yawning.
• Not blinking for long periods.
• Finding it hard to keep eyes open.
• Difficulty focusing.
• Memory blanks for parts of the trip.
What should I do if I’m feeling tired? If you show any of the warning signs mentioned above or if you are feeling tired it is important to pull over and have a break or swap drivers. On a long trip, try to take a break every two hours.
Who is more at risk of being affected by fatigue? Men aged 17-29 are more likely to be involved in a fatigue related crash than any other group. However, people who are involved in shift work, have multiple jobs, average less than 6 hours of sleep a night or have poor quality sleep are also at a greater risk.
When are most of the fatigue related crashes occurring? Studies show that fatigue-related crashes are most likely to occur between 1:00 am and 6:00 am.