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Sleeping at the wheel is a killer: eight ways to fight the snooze

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9 January 2014

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Men are worse than women, but a staggering percentage of drivers admit to ‘nodding off’ – in effect falling asleep – behind the wheel

HAVE you ever ‘nodded off’ behind the wheel?

Have you ever driven when you can’t stop your eyes from closing because of fatigue?

driving long distances without rest breaks is unsafe driving behaviour

You’re not alone if either of these ‘driving whilst tired’ syndromes has affected you in the past. Recent research by road safety charity Brake in conjunction with Direct Line Insurance has shown that nearly a half of all men and a quarter of women admit to ‘nodding off’ at the wheel (click here for more on this).

The important thing is NEVER allow it to happen again …. ever! Because quite apart from the obvious danger, the legal consequences are grave too.

Heed my warning; when related to driving, fatigue is a killer and you must treat driving fatigue as an emergency.  It can be the difference between life and death! 

Fatigue behind the wheel is particularly dangerous because one of the symptoms is a reduced ability to judge our own level of tiredness. Drivers often deny to themselves they are falling asleep at the wheel – this alone is unforgiveable and indefensible.

 

What makes drivers nod off at the wheel?

There are many elements that can cause fatigue but the four main causes are;

a)    Lack of quality sleep;

b)    The time of day – it might be an obvious risk between 1am and 6am but between 2pm and 4pm is another bad time. It’s when our ‘biological clock’ makes us feel tired, and it’s made worse by a heavy lunch. Not for nothing do Mediterranean dwellers take a siesta;

c)     Length of time behind the wheel;

d)    Sleeping disorders.

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Matt Morton

Matt Morton

Matt Morton is an automotive content writer for Business Car Manager

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