Don't Trust your Tired Self
Hannah Esslemont
Fatigue is Responsible for 20% of all Road Incidents
Fatigue is one of the four main distractions drivers face when on the road. Driving after being awake for long periods of time is a factor that many people don’t realise the effect this can have on someone’s ability to drive safely. Most people would never drive while being under the influence of alcohol, but there is a high number of drivers who continue to be on the roads while tired.
How tired are you?
If a person is awake for a total of 17 hours, this is equivalent to having a BAC of 0.5 and 24 hours is equivalent to 0.10 which is double the legal alcohol limit. If you drive a vehicle while tired, you will lose judgement of the road, black out or you may even fall asleep at the wheel. If you need to get somewhere and are extremely tired, the only way you will be able to drive is by sleeping.
If you are feeling so tired that you're struggling to stay awake, then it is unsafe for you to drive and you shouldn't do so until you have had some sleep.
How to know if you're too tired to drive?
Some signs that you are too tired to drive include:
- repeated yawning or difficulty keeping your head up;
- rubbing your eyes and/or finding it hard to keep your eyes open and focused on the road;
- erratic driving behaviour, such as swerving, tailgating, drifting out of your lane, hitting rumble strips, missing traffic signs or missing an exit you planned to take;
- feeling irritable or restless;
- struggling to remember the last few miles driven.