Fatigue is one of the major hidden dangers of motoring

Fatigued driving is a concern for all police as they aim to reduce death and injury on our roads during the 2011 National Easter Holiday Road toll period.

Driving tired can be as dangerous as driving drunk. They both have the same affect on our ability to react. Tiredness can lead to a serious or fatal accident because it slows our reaction times and our ability to concentrate on the road and traffic around us. Every year, thousands of Australians go on extended trips over Easter.

Often people leave straight after work and drive for continuous periods or when they normally might be sleeping. National data shows a significant increase in fatigue-related crashes in holiday periods such as Christmas and Easter¹.

Falling asleep is the worst case scenario but fatigue can result in momentary inattention, zoning out and day-dreaming - all extremely hazardous while driving.

While the danger of speed and drink driving are well understood - even the most careful driver can be susceptible to the effects of fatigue. Fatigue represents 20-30 per cent of fatalities and 8 per cent of injuries in Australia². However fatigue crashes can be incredibly severe - as they typically involve high speeds and the driver usually makes no attempt to avoid or prevent the crash.

‘Loss of control’ and ‘head-on’ crashes are the most common types of fatal crashes involving fatigue. The classic warning signs of fatigue while driving are yawning, poor concentration, restlessness, blurred vision, over-steering or boredom. Winding down windows, playing loud music and drinking caffeine does not work.

The following safety tips are recommended:

• stop every two hours for a 10 minute break - get out, stretch and having something to eat or drink (but avoid large meals)
• have a good night sleep the night before (at the least, 7.5 hours) 
• avoid driving at times you might normally be sleeping
• don’t drive for more than 10 hours a day
• if possible - swap drivers
• avoid medications that make you drowsy
• if you feel tired before you set out - then you shouldn't be driving.

All available police from across Australia and New Zealand will be on our roads this Easter, focusing on drink/drug driving, speeding, traffic infringements and licence offences, in an effort to minimize the 2011 National Easter Holiday Road toll.

Footnotes:

[1] Australian Transport Safety Bureau. Characteristics of Fatal Road Crashes during National Holiday Periods, 2006.

[2] National Road Safety Council. 2010. National Road Safety Strategy 2011-2020: Draft for consultation. Canberra, ACT: National Road Safety Council. http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/safety/national_road_safety_strategy/index.aspx