Fatigue

If you fall asleep at the wheel you risk killing yourself, your passengers and other innocent victims.

The facts:

• Sleep-related accidents are more likely than others to result in a fatality or serious injury.
• Peak times for collisions are in the early hours and after lunch.

Advice:

• Plan your journey to include a 15 minute break every two hours
• Don’t start a long trip if you are already tired.
• Try to avoid long trips between midnight and 6am when you are likely to feel sleepy anyway.
• If you start to feel sleepy – find a safe place to stop – not the hardshoulder.
• The only real cure for sleepiness is proper sleep.

If you have a medical condition linking in with sleepiness that can affect your driving you must inform the DVLA.  You can be fined up to £1,000 if you don’t tell the DVLA.  You may also be prosecuted if you are involved in a collision.