How fatigue affects your driving
Fatigue has a huge impact on your driving and
can affect your ability to drive safely, similar to
the effect of drink driving. Research shows that
being awake for 17 hours has the same affect
on your driving ability as a BAC (blood alcohol
concentration) of 0.05. Going without sleep for 24
hours has the same affect as a BAC of 0.1, double
the legal limit.
How to beat driver fatigue
The only way to address fatigue is by sleeping.
Make a choice not to drive when tired or follow
these guidelines to prevent fatigue:
• get a good night’s sleep before heading off on a
long trip
• don’t travel for more than eight to ten hours a
day
Driving while tired or fatigued can result in: • take regular breaks – at least every two hours
• lack of concentration – errors in calculating
speed and distance are common • don’t drink alcohol before your trip. Even a small
amount can significantly contribute to driver
fatigue
• slower reaction times
• reduced vigilance and poor judgement
• nodding off – even for a few seconds can result
in dire consequences
• share the driving wherever possible
• don’t travel at times when you’d usually be
sleeping
• take a 15 minute powernap if you feel yourself
becoming drowsy