Millions of drivers fall asleep at the wheel, a shocking survey reveals

Driver tiredness is a factor in 96 fatal crashes a year [3] and leads to countless more serious injuries. The real death toll is likely to be much higher as it is difficult to prove that a driver was tired or asleep at the time of a crash. Brake is appealing for drivers to stop this preventable death toll and never drive while tired. An online information sheet about tired driving is available on the Brake website.

Case study
Mary Dunn knows all too well the devastating consequences of tired driving. Her husband Steve, 39, was driving a train involved in the 2001 ‘Selby Rail Disaster’. Driver Gary Hart, who had not had any sleep the night before, fell asleep on the M62. His vehicle left the motorway and went down a bank on to the railway, causing two trains to derail. Ten people died including Steve Dunn.

Mary says: “Too many people think that driving while tired is harmless without realising that they are in charge of a lethal weapon, capable of causing a major catastrophe like in Selby. Please think of Steve, and the others who were killed or injured that day, all because one man decided to drive while tired. Always get enough sleep before a journey and only ever drive if you feel fully awake and alert.”

Jools Townsend, head of education at Brake, said: “It is shocking that drivers are so ignorant about how to prevent tiredness on the road. It’s crucial that drivers planning long journeys or driving at unusual hours are aware of the dangers of driving tired and know how to avoid it by getting a good night’s sleep beforehand, taking regular breaks and pulling over if they feel tired. We need to see high-profile advertising campaigns about the dangers of driving tired, to educate drivers who are, often unwittingly, putting themselves and others in terrible danger.”

Abi Clark, spokesperson for Green Flag, commented: “This research highlights that drivers need to be aware of the dangers they are putting themselves and others in when driving whilst tired. Drivers can’t just open a window or crank the music up to keep awake – they need to ensure they have a break every two hours when on a long journey and stop and take a nap if they feel tired.”

Survey results in full:
Q. Listed below are methods that drivers say they use to combat tiredness. Which of these methods do you, personally, use, and which do you think are proven to work?
71% said they ‘take regular breaks’ on long journeys, while 80% think this is proven to help
71% said they have a ‘good night’s sleep’ before a long journey, although only 65% think this is proven to help
41% said they ‘drink caffeine’ while taking a rest break, while 30% think this is proven to help
21% said they ‘have a short nap’ when taking a rest break, while 36% think this is proven to help
68% said they ‘open a window’, although just 48% think this is proven to help
50% said they ‘listen to a radio, CD or tape’ while driving, but only 23% think this is proven to help
39% said they ‘talk to a passenger’, although only 21 think this is proven to help
40% said they ‘go for a short walk’ when taking a rest break, while 40% think this is proven to help
22% said they ‘splash water on their face’ when taking a rest break, while 16% think this is proven to help
2% said they do something else to avoid tired driving
Less than 1% said they don’t do anything to try to combat tired driving

Q. Within the past 12 months, how often have you fallen asleep at the wheel?
7% said they have fallen asleep at the wheel once or twice
0.8% said they have fallen asleep at the wheel three or four times
0.4% said they have fallen asleep at the wheel 10 or more times

Q. Within the past 12 months, have you been a passenger in a vehicle with a driver who you think was tired?
26% said they thought they had been a passenger in a vehicle with a driver who was tired.



Source: Brake and Green Flag survey