View transcript When you’re tired you don’t function well. In fact, being awake for 17 hours is the same as being over the legal driving limit. And if you get behind the wheel you might fall asleep and never wake up. If you crash, you’ll hit at speed because you can’t brake when you’re asleep. So plan to rest at least 15 minutes every 2 hours. Avoid driving when you’re supposed to be asleep. Avoid long drives after work. Avoid driving for longer than 10 hours in one day. Caffeine is only a temporary solution. Turning up the radio won’t help for long, neither will winding down the window. The only fix for being tired is sleep so rest before you hit the road. Join the Drive to Save Lives. Queensland Government.
Fatigue is one of the top five factors contributing to road crashes. So plan to rest at least 15 minutes every 2 hours. Caffeine is only a temporary solution. Turning up the radio won’t help for long, neither will winding down the window. The only fix for being tired is sleep so rest before you hit the road.
Remember that sleep is the only way to overcome tiredness. The Science of sleep explains how circadian rhythms, sleep debt and sleep inertia affect your ability to drive.
Fatigue is often ranked as a major factor in causing road crashes although its contribution to individual cases is hard to measure and is often not reported as a cause of crash. Driver fatigue is particularly dangerous because one of the symptoms is decreased ability to judge your own level of tiredness. Fatigue is more likely to be a factor in crashes in rural areas as they can involve long trips and extensive periods of continuous driving, however anyone can be affected by fatigue. If you don't get enough sleep you go in to sleep debt and you owe yourself more sleep. The only way to repay this debt is by sleeping. Until you catch up on your sleep, you will have a greater risk of having a fatigue related crash. Research has shown that not sleeping for more than 17 hours has an effect on driving ability the same as a Blood Alcohol Concentration(BAC) of 0.05. Not sleeping for 24 hours has the same effect of having a BAC of 0.10, double the legal limit. What causes fatigue?There are a range of factors that can cause fatigue. The four main causes are:
Signs of fatigue include:
Most importantly if you feel tired, pull over and have a power nap, otherwise you may experience microsleeps which are dangerous while driving. Once you are fatigued the only cure is to stop and take a break. MicrosleepsMicrosleeps are when you nod off for unintended periods of light sleep that last a few seconds or several minutes. You may just lose attention and stare blankly or even close your eyes and your head might snap up. Microsleeps are dangerous when driving. During a 4 second microsleep a car travelling at 100km/h will travel 111 metres while completely out of the drivers control. Microsleeps usually occur at times when you would normally be asleep or when you are tired and trying to stay awake. How to avoid fatigue
More informationHeavy vehicle fatigue laws
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