Car Insurance
New warning over driving fatigue
Mon, 17 Oct 2005
A renewed warning by RoadSafe aims to remind drivers that falling asleep behind the wheel accounts for up to 20 per cent of all motorway accidents.
As part of its winter driving campaign, RoadSafe has drawn on government figures to highlight the dangers of not stopping to take a break on long journeys.
"When driving at night extra care should be taken to plan journeys and to make sure that you are not too tired," advised RoadSafe director, Adrian Walsh.
Government research shows that around 300 fatal casualties a year are caused by driving fatigue.
The greatest risk of falling asleep behind the wheel was found to be while traveling during the early hours of the morning and between 2pm-4pm.
RoadSafe is advising drivers to take a series of precautionary steps in order to avoid driving fatigue, therefore making the roads safer and avoiding pushing up car insurance premiums for other motorists.
These steps include planning a 15 minutes break after every two hours; drinking caffeine-rich beverages such a coffee; sharing the driving with a friend or partner and avoiding making long trips at night when natural levels of alertness are reduced.
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