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Driver tiredness on the rise
Date: 10 March 2011
Road safety charity Brake has warned that fatigue is still an issue for motorists ten years after the fatal Selby rail crash, which was blamed on driver tiredness.
A survey conducted by Brake and Direct Line in 2010 found that 74% of drivers admitted driving while tired during the previous 12 months (up from 46% six years ago) with one in ten saying they did so at least once a week.
Brake said Department for Transport research indicated that one in five fatal accidents on trunk roads resulted from driver tiredness. It said that although it was difficult to gauge when a driver falling asleep at the wheel had caused an accident, the crashes tended to be high speed, and thus more dangerous, because the driver would usually not have braked before crashing.
Brake urged tired drivers to stop, drink caffeine and take a short rest before continuing on their journey.
It also called for targeted Government campaigns to warn motorists about the danger of driving tired and demanded an increase in traffic policing with patrols briefed to spot erratic driving.
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