It's commonly labelled that drunk or mobile-driving can pose the biggest threat to motorists themselves and others on the road, however, its often ignored, that tired drivers are every bit as dangerous.
According to the official, police recorded accident data, fatigue’s a factor in 2% of all injury accidents, but some studies have suggested that 20% of accidents on major roads can be attributed to tiredness.How does this occur?
Most often, the cases occur when someone is driving late at night, possibly on the way to or from a holiday, or from people driving for work – due to the larger amount of hours driven rather than the time of day.
We at CarCliq have some helpful tips to ensure if you’re driving for a long period of time or if you’re driving for work, that you are safe.
If you’re driving a long distance?
If you are a company car driver – you will understand the pressure felt when wanting to break guidelines to meet customers.
However, most employers will have a road safety policy in place. This will lay down the specialised rules to help prevent fatigue-related accidents.
To conclude, make sure you take yourself into consideration when driving for long journeys or for work purposes. It is better to be late, than sorry.
For more CarCliq guides click here.
- Don’t drive for more than 8 hours in a day.
- Take regular fifteen-minute breaks in journeys over three hours.
- Aim to stop every two hours or so, especially if you’re not used to driving long distances.
- If you feel at all sleepy, stop in a safe place. Don’t stop on a motorway hard shoulder.
- The best way to counter sleepiness is to drink two cups of caffeinated coffee and to take a short nap for at least 15 minutes – check for parking restrictions before you do so.
- Plan journeys so that you can take breaks, allowing for an overnight stay if necessary. Even experienced HGV drivers are instructed to only drive up to 9 hours in a day or work for over 13 hours in a day. Most car drivers are nowhere near as used to driving for this long.
- Don’t start a long journey if tired.
- Heavy meals can make you sleepy.
- Driving at times when you would normally be asleep brings extra risk, particularly the early morning.
- Strenuous exercise before driving can also have a bad effect – especially for older people.
If you are a company car driver – you will understand the pressure felt when wanting to break guidelines to meet customers.
However, most employers will have a road safety policy in place. This will lay down the specialised rules to help prevent fatigue-related accidents.
To conclude, make sure you take yourself into consideration when driving for long journeys or for work purposes. It is better to be late, than sorry.
For more CarCliq guides click here.
