Wake up to the signs of tiredness!

14:22 02 December 2009

An estimated 350 people a year are killed as a result of a driver falling asleep at the wheel.

Sleep-related crashes are more likely to result in serious injury than the 'average' road accident because a sleeping driver does not react before a crash.

It is estimated that a fifth of motorway collisions and one in 10 accidents on all roads in Britain are caused by driver sleepiness.

Particularly at risk are men under the age of 30. This age group is more likely to nod off at the wheel, as they are more likely to carry on driving when they are tired and because they use roads more at night.

There are simple measures that can help keep tiredness at bay, improving your safety as well as that of other road users. Opening the window or turning up the radio, however, does little to prevent a driver from falling asleep at the wheel.

Top tips for staying awake

• Make sure you have a good night's sleep the night before departing on a long journey. Go to bed at a reasonable time, especially if you are expecting to set out early and avoid setting off after a long days work.
• Plan to take regular stops throughout your journey, rather than pushing yourself to drive as far as possible before pulling in. Ideally you should build stops into your schedule for 15 mins every two hours that you are driving. Drinking two cups of coffee or other high caffeine drink and having a rest to allow time for the caffeine to kick in are effective methods of combating tiredness.
• Check the advice with any medications you are taking (such as hayfever tablets) and be sure to follow it as some may cause drowsiness. Consult your doctor or pharmacist to find out if there are any non-drowsy versions available.
• Avoid making long distance journeys between midnight and 6am and take care between 2pm to 4pm in the afternoon as your body experiences a natural lull at these times of the day.
• Try to share the driving with someone else where possible.
• Leave yourself plenty of time for your journey. If you are trying to reach your destination before a certain time, you are less likely to stop as often as you might need.
• Check your route on a map before you leave, there may be some interesting places to stop along the way that will make a change from motorway-type service stations.

THINK! Tiredness kills. Make time for a break.

Visit www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk for more information.