Driving fatigue is dangerous. the best strategies to avoid fatigue are

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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.

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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.

Get a good night’s sleep
Avoid driving at night when your body will naturally want to sleep
Arrange to share the driving
Avoid long drives after work
Plan to take regular breaks from driving (use rest areas)
Catch a cab or public transport instead
Ask someone for a lift
Find out if any medicine you are taking may affect your driving
Know what the early warning signs of fatigue are

Pull over for a break in a safe place
Pull over for a nap (20 minutes works best)
Swap drivers if you can
Stop for a coffee if you’re on a short drive, although the effects of caffeine won't help for long and won't work for everyone. Caffeine is not suitable for some people and can be harmful. Limits on the daily consumption of caffeine are recommended.
Even if you don’t feel tired, take regular breaks to avoid becoming tired

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:

lack of quality sleep
time of day driving when you would normally be sleeping (eg 1am-6am) or in the afternoon period (eg 2pm-4pm) when our biological time clock makes us feel tired
length of time performing the task
sleeping disorders such as sleep apnoea.

Signs of fatigue include:

constant yawning
drifting over lanes
sore eyes
trouble keeping your head upright
delayed reactions
day dreaming
difficulty remembering driving the last few kilometres
variations in driving speed.

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.

Microsleeps

Microsleeps 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

Get enough quality sleep before you begin driving. Be sure to have 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep before your trip.
The worst time to begin your trip is after work. You will be tired already even though you do not realise it.
Aim not to travel more than 8 to 10 hours each day.
Take regular 15 minute breaks at least every two hours. Get out of the car, get some fresh air and some exercise.
If possible share the driving. Get your passengers to tell you if you look tired or if you are showing signs of tiredness.
Eat well balanced meals at your usual meal times. Avoid fatty foods which can make you feel drowsy.
Avoid alcohol and medicines that can cause drowsiness.
Avoid driving at night. The chances of crashing are much higher late at night and early morning.

Will coffee, fresh air or loud music cure fatigue?
In the short term coffee may be of some benefit but its effects wear off and you are likely to suffer from sleep rebound putting you at risk of crashing. Playing music and fresh air will only have a short-term benefit in keeping you alert.
The only cure for fatigue is sleep.