10% admit falling asleep at the wheel

4 January, 2008

One in 10 business drivers say they have fallen asleep while driving in the past year.

The information comes from a survey run by recovery firm Green Flag and the road safety organisation Brake and it shows people who drive for work are more than twice as likely to doze off at the wheel than those driving for leisure. The figure for people who only drive outside of work was one in 25.

Brake estimates this leads to six people being killed each week in crashes caused by tired drivers.

The survey also found 50% of at-work drivers say they have driven after five hours sleep or less at least once or twice in the past 12 months.

The introduction of the Corporate Manslaughter Act this April means employers who do not ensure that employees drive safely on company time face a greater risk of prosecution in the case of a fatal crash.