Wake up to driver fatigue

Tiredness can affect a driver's ability to react quickly and to think straight, a study has proved.

The investigation followed a professional racing driver, a parent combining a full time job with family responsibilities and a journalist as they were tested following a night of missed sleep.

All three drivers showed the same poor reactions, similar to a drunk driver, and the working parent actually mounted the pavement in the driving simulation test. The racing driver's IQ score, especially, showed a sharp decline.

Neuropsychologist, Dr David Lewis, who conducted the study, reported: "Since so many people now work long hours, . . . it seems inevitable that a substantial proportion of motorists, especially at the start and the end of each day, are suffering the effects of sleep debt.

"The risks are further intensified by the fact that it is at these times that traffic volumes are greatest and the demands on drivers are most extreme."

Andrew Beard from insurer LV= says: "Driving and tiredness are a lethal combination.

"Turning the clocks back signals the start of winter, with less daylight hours and increasingly longer hours of darkness . . . if drivers understood that they are just as impaired driving when tired as they are when over the legal alcohol level, more people would think twice about staying behind the wheel when feeling tired or sleepy."

A car has been shown to travel further than the length of a football pitch during a 2 second 'microsleep', which tired drivers experience after their blink rate has increased and their eyes briefly roll up into the eye sockets.

When the driver re-awakes, they tend to brake sharply, which could cause snaking if towing a caravan or trailer.

30/10/2007 12:22:51