Driver
Tiredness
Kills
Aims of the training
• To raise your awareness of the dangers
of driver tiredness
• To challenge some of the myths we
have about driver tiredness
• To provide effective countermeasures to
enable you to cope with the problem
Background
• Most people don’t take sleep seriously
• Tiredness is seen as a weakness
• Most of us don’t get enough sleep
• Sleep is not ‘cool’
• Staying awake is seen as macho, cool, young
…just a little bit further…
QUIZ
Fatigue and tiredness –
what’s the difference?
Fatigue:
• Impairment due to prolonged physical or mental work
• Solution: rest (not necessarily sleep)
Tiredness:
• The likelihood of falling asleep
• Solution: sleep (rest is not sufficient)
Facts and figures
•
Causes more than 20% of
motorway accidents
•
Most frequent cause of
accidental death of truck drivers
•
Accidents worse - high speed,
no avoidance
•
3 times more likely to result in
death or serious injury
•
Those with sleep problems are
twice as likely to have an
accident at work
Facts and figures
Annual Average Probability of Occupational Fatality:
Deep Sea Fishing 1 in 750
Coal Mining 1 in 7,100
Car Driving (25,000 miles/year) 1 in 8,000
Construction 1 in 10,000
Agriculture 1 in 13,500
Service Industries 1 in 150,000
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
Driver Tiredness kills
Performance after 18 hours of wakefulness
is comparable to that of a drunk driver.
When do tiredness-related
accidents occur?
Number of tiredness-related fatal road accidents across a 24 hour period
Actual number of sleep related accidents
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
0000-0100
0300-0400
0600-0700
0900-1000
1200-1300
Hour of day
1500-1600
1800-1900
2100-2200
Who is most at risk?
• Shift workers
- especially on the first night shift
• Driving home after a night shift
• Truck drivers
• Company car drivers
• Men
- particularly aged 18-24 and 40+
• Skilled manual workers
Causes of Driver Tiredness
Sleep is vital
• We cannot live without sleep
• We need about 7-8 hours of sleep every day
• Not enough sleep leads to:
•
•
•
•
•
attention difficulties
slower reaction times
slower, muddled thinking
erratic speed control
sloppy steering
• Effects of sleep loss build up
• Recovery usually takes 2 full nights of sleep
The body clock
siesta time
▪ minimum alertness
▪ poor performance
early morning
▪ maximum alertness
▪ maximum performance
A good night’s sleep ….
Wake
REM
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
2400
0100
0200
0300
0400
0500
Time of day (hours)
0600
0700
Alcohol, drugs & sleep
Alcohol
• causes early morning awakening and disturbed sleep
• worsens existing sleepiness
Sleeping pills
• Designed for “short-term” use
• effects can last too long and make you sleepy at work
• can have side effects
• smallest dose, shortest time, supervised by your doctor
Over-the-counter
medicines
• Bought without prescription, but many can
cause significant daytime sleepiness
• Remedies for:
- Colds and flu
- Allergies (e.g. Hay fever)
- Travel sickness
• Often contain medicine used to aid sleep
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
• Large neck (collar size
over 43 cm/17 inches)
• Overweight
• Men, aged over 50
• Heavy snoring
• Choking during sleep
• Daytime sleepiness
Sleep Apnoea
Sleep apnoea affects 5% of the general population
and at least 20% of truck drivers
…time for a break
Group discussion
• Have you ever felt yourself falling asleep
at the wheel?
• What happened?
• What do you do to cope with
driver tiredness?
Myths
“HIGHWAY HYPNOSIS”
Doesn’t exist - just another name for falling asleep
These will not
keep you awake
• Sucking lemons
• Sticking pins in your wrist
• Holding money out of the window
• Recounting past romances
• Shaking your head violently
• Putting your hair up in the sun roof
Myths about tiredness
“Cold air will keep me awake”
The Facts are:
• Cold air on your face will not keep you awake
• … nor will listening to the radio,
• …. or chewing gum,
• …. or stretching the legs
• Willpower will not keep you awake
Myths about tiredness
“I’ve been this tired before, and I can cope”
The Facts are:
• When you are sleepy
- you over-estimate your alertness
- your judgment is not as good
• Microsleeps are uncontrollable and inevitable
• Determination won’t stop you from falling asleep
• It is harder to cope with shift work as you get older
Effective
counter
measures
Shared responsibilities
Organisational
Health and safety
Individual
Fitness to work
 workload & breaks
 shift duration
 type of work
 sleep not just rest
 medical condition
 medication
Work organisation
Life outside work
 shift scheduling
 work predictability
 pay system
 family responsibilities
 commuting
 lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle
•
Eat a balanced diet
•
Don’t go to bed too full or too hungry
•
Avoid caffeine/alcohol before bed
•
To relax, have a warm bath or shower before bed
•
Exercise regularly, but not just before bedtime
The ideal sleep environment

Dark room
- mask/heavy curtains

Quiet room
- turn off the phone
- ‘Do not disturb’ sign on front door
- ear plugs
- white noise machines (e.g. fan)

Cool temperature – c. 18 degrees centigrade

Comfortable bed – firm, supporting, check condition
On the road
Plan your journey and take a break every 2 hours
•
If you are feeling tired STOP DRIVING
•
Park somewhere safe
•
Call your scheduler if necessary
•
Have a couple of cups of strong coffee / caffeine
drink
•
Followed by a 15-20 minute nap
Remember that this is an emergency measure
Use of caffeine
• Use caffeine to increase alertness when you need it
• Takes about 20 minutes to have an effect
• Don’t use it when you are already alert
• Avoid caffeine near bedtime
• Don’t dehydrate – drink water too
• Effects can be long lasting - know your own limits
The Power Nap
When would you take a
break from driving?
When:
• You find it difficult to concentrate?
• You keep adjusting your driving position?
• You are repeatedly stretching and yawning?
• Your head is nodding?
• You are fighting to keep your eyes open?
Willpower and sleep
Now … when would you
take a break?
• Finding it difficult to concentrate
• Adjusting driving position
• Stretching and yawning
• Head nodding
• Fighting to keep eyes open
Minutes from home?
• The journey home is a high risk time for falling
asleep at the wheel
• Many accidents occur close to destinations
• We naturally relax and unwind after a long day and
as we get close to home
• Gives the body a signal that it is safe to sleep
• Don’t be tempted to push on - STOP. Take a break.
At home:
getting enough sleep
• Get the best sleep possible before starting your shift
• When working shift work
- try to get as much sleep as you would on a day off
- ask your family to help you get adequate sleep
- when on nights, try not to delay this sleep to later in the day
• Listen to your body
- if you feel sleepy and circumstances allow - sleep!
QUIZ
Let’s get an early start
…
Key Points - Summary
• Fatigue has biological causes
• The effects of sleep loss build up
• If you ignore sleepiness, in the end you will fall asleep
uncontrollably
• Two full nights in a row of good sleep are needed for
recovery
• The body clock programmes us to sleep at night
• The body clock does not adapt to night work
• There is no single, simple answer to fatigue problems
• These are recommendations – find what works for you
Improve your own situation … now!!!
How long will you Survive?
No food – 3 to 4 weeks
No water – 3 to 4 days
No shelter – 3 to 4 hours
No sleep when driving
- 3 to 4 seconds
Your safety
is our goal