Fatigue is tiredness, weariness or exhaustion. You can be fatigued enough for it to impair your driving long before you ‘nod off’ at the wheel – which is an extreme form of fatigue.
In 2019, fatigue was a contributing factor in 17 fatal crashes (6 per cent of all fatal crashes), 85 (4 per cent) serious injury crashes and 491 (5 per cent) minor injury crashes.
Everyone is likely to experience fatigue to some degree while driving, but fatigue is more likely for:
Slower reactions
Difficulty concentrating
Poor risk judgement
Excessive speed changes
Centre-line drift
These effects lead to a high number of single vehicle crashes involving a car striking a tree or other rigid object, and severe head-on collisions.
Driver fatigue is difficult to identify or recognise as contributing to a crash. This means it’s likely that fatigue is under-recorded, and contributes to more crashes than we realise. Australian estimates indicate that fatigue accounts for up to 30 percent of single-vehicle crashes in rural areas. Fatigue needs to be taken very seriously.
If you're driving and notice any of the following warning signs, it's important that you pull over and take a break. The best option is to set a timer or alarm and have a 15 minute nap before driving further.
Restlessness
Blinking frequently
Yawning
Breaking too late
Forgetting last kms
Drowsiness
Prioritise sleep - make sure you get enough sleep regularly
Snack lightly - choose light, fresh food. Avoid fatty, sugary or carbohydrate-filled options
Take a break - take a break from driving at least every two hours
Power nap - nap for no more than 20 minutes for best effect
Drive at natural times - drive during times that you're usually awake
Stay hydrated - drinking water helps keep you alert
Check your medication - be sure they won't affect your alertness on the road
Share the driving - swap drivers if possible
Avoid alcohol - any alcohol at all will increase your risk, so avoid it
Coffee
Fresh air
Music
These only help with fatigue short-term. Stopping and getting a good night's sleep is the only cure.
Driver fatigue often combines with other factors, such as alcohol and speed, to cause road crashes.
Drink-driving is particularly dangerous in combination with fatigue. Alcohol can affect a driver’s alertness long before the legal limit is reached. Any amount of alcohol can combine with fatigue to affect your driving.
Speed and fatigue are also a bad combination. The faster you drive, the less time you have to react to the unexpected. When you’re tired, fatigue slows your reactions. It’s possible that speed makes up a larger proportion of fatigue-related crashes than we can identify.
See more information on work time and logbooks and identifying and preventing fatigue for commercial drivers.
*Note: Crash data for 2019 is not yet complete. Data is for all crashes reported by the Police to the NZ Transport Agency for the year 2019 as recorded in CAS at 11/05/2020.
