Fatigue related crashes often occur when the driver is alone.
Today’s road safety focus is on fatigue.
Driver fatigue is particularly dangerous because it affects everyone no matter how experienced a driver you are.
Fatigue isn’t just falling asleep at the wheel, it’s also the lapses in concentration experienced by drivers that have serious consequences.
Fatigue related crashes are often severe and often occur when the driver is alone. Young male drivers, particularly those who drive at night, are most commonly involved in crashes in which fatigue was reported as a contributing factor.
In October 2015, Year 10 Road Safety Observers and an Ambassador from St Luke’s Anglican School completed a field trip as part of Road Safety Bundaberg Leads the Way. The field trip covered various locations where traffic crashes had previously occurred and student’s were provided with information about the crash and consequences that occurred.
One of these crashes was a single vehicle fatigue related one. In January 2015, a young male P2 driver had fallen asleep behind the wheel and left the roadway on the left hand side of the road and continued to drive on an embankment for approximately 30 metres before colliding with a cement barricade at the edge of an irrigation channel. QPS, QAS and QFES all attended and the driver provided a negative result when a RBT was conducted. The crash occurred at approximately 2.30am and the driver had driven for approximately three hours from the Sunshine Coast, without stopping to rest during the journey. The driver was issued a Notice to Appear for Drive without due care and attention, which resulted in a $500 penalty.
Most fatigue related crashes happen close to home or within 100km of their origin of journey.
It’s important to recognise the warning signs of fatigue.
You should stop driving if you:
- Are yawning
- Blinking more than usual
- Having trouble keeping your head up
- Notice your eyes closing for a moment or going out of focus
- Forget how you’ve driven the past few kilometres.
Remember when travelling on long journeys, take a rest every two hours for at least 15 minutes.