Driver Fatigue: The Dangers of Driving Sleepy

Just about everyone has experienced feelings of grogginess while driving. However, actual driver fatigue is a physiological and psychological condition that can greatly affect your driving judgment and abilities. Driver fatigue not only impacts your alertness and response time but also increases your chances of being involved in car accidents.

Symptoms of Driver Fatigue

Symptoms of driver fatigue include an overall sleepy, groggy or exhausted feeling. A person suffering from the condition may yawn frequently, feel irritable and/or have a difficult time concentrating. The driver's eyes may also feel strained, sore and tired.

Driver fatigue can cause the sleepy driver to steer less effectively or with too much action. The person may miss road signs, ignore lanes and even experience short bursts of microsleep (a lapse from wake to sleep that lasts only a few seconds).

One of the ironies of driver fatigue is that the driver may be too tired to determine his own level of fatigue. The problem, therefore, is often ignored. Here are some warning signs of driver fatigue:
  • daydreaming while on the road
  • driving over the center line
  • excessive yawning
  • feeling impatient
  • feeling stiff
  • heavy eyes
  • reacting slowly.

Who Suffers from Driver Fatigue?

Clearly, driver fatigue is a concern for everybody. Anybody who hasn't had a good night's sleep and is driving may be a victim of the condition. However, young people aged 16 to 29 are at higher risk for driver fatigue. Also, males are more likely than females to suffer from the disorder.

Truck driver fatigue is common among truckers who drive for very long stretches of time. Also, shift workers with jobs that demand stressful or unnatural sleeping patterns may be more likely to experience this syndrome, along with people who suffer from specific sleep disorders (such as sleep apnea or narcolepsy). More driver-fatigue-related car crashes occur on country roads, though cities certainly have sleep-related accidents as well.

High-Risk Times of Day for Driver Fatigue

There are certain times of the day and night when our energy levels naturally dip. These circadian rhythms are part of a normal sleep/wake cycle. In reaction to these dips, between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., drivers are more at risk for experiencing driver fatigue.

How to Prevent Driver Fatigue

Here are a few steps that you can take to prevent driver fatigue:
  • Avoid alcohol, which contributes to sleepiness, large meals and any medications that might make you drowsy.
  • Establish a realistic driving plan, one that does not require you to drive long periods without a good night's sleep and healthy breaks.
  • Remember to stay hydrated, get a lot of fresh air and incorporate environmental stimuli when possible (music, conversation, etc.).
  • Share the driving whenever possible and try to really rest when it isn't your turn to drive.
  • The number one way to prevent driver fatigue is to get enough sleep. This means sleeping for at least six to nine hours each night.
  • When driving, take a break at least every two hours. During your breaks, nap, eat a snack, drink a caffeinated beverage, etc.

Resources

RTA (n.d.). Driver Fatigue. Retrieved January 26, 2007, from
the RTA Web site: http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/fatigue/index.html.

Science.org (n.d.). Nova: Driver Fatigue: An Accident Waiting to Happen. Retrieved January 26, 2007, from the Science.org Web site: http://www.science.org.au/nova/074/074key.htm.

Smart Motorist (n.d.). Smart Motorist. Retrieved January 26, 2007, from the Smart Motorist Web site:
http://www.smartmotorist.com/sle/sle.htm.