Did you know that fatigued drivers could cause real damage if left on the road, with research showing that 20% of accidents on major roads are sleep-related?  When you are running a fleet of vehicles it’s hard to know how long your drivers are travelling before taking breaks.

Fatigue and the resulting lack of attention can be one of the main dangers on the road. Trying to stay awake and fighting off drowsiness by doing things like opening a window or turning up the radio can only work for so long before they simply become too tired. To make you more aware of the dangers of fatigue here is some information that you may find useful.

 

 

Symptoms

It can be very difficult for a driver to assess their own level of fatigue, as people often ignore the signs and go on regardless just so that they can reach their destination. However, if they suffer from any of these symptoms, then they should stop and take a break:

• Head dropping, or inability to keep eyes open.

• Trouble focusing, or narrowing of attention.

• Not remembering the last few minutes.

• Constant yawning or rubbing their eyes.

• Drifting from one lane to another

Causes

There are typically three main causes of driver’s fatigue:

1. A lack of good quality sleep.

2. Driving late at night or early morning.

3. Not stopping for regular breaks.

 

If these do occur, it will eventually result in your drivers building up a ‘sleep debt’, and until they can find time to catch up on this sleep they increase the chance of a fatigue related accident.

Effects

One of the most common side effects of sleep deprivation is that drivers can unintentionally fall in to a “micro sleep”, caused by a decline in mental processing. This most often only lasts for a few seconds, but if it happens to coincide with something unexpected happening on the road, then it can prove to be fatal.

So how does this affect you?  As a Fleet Manager you are responsible for ensuring all your drivers are driving safely at all times.  You can advise them on the number of rest periods they should have for each journey.  Plus they should know that if they are very tired it is better for them to pull over and have a break rather than continue the journey and put themselves at risk.

At Bridge Fleet Solutions we offer a range of tracking systems, which can be used to ensure that drivers are taking regular breaks.  This can certainly help to keep them safe and reduce accidents caused by fatigue.  If you would like any more information on our vehicle tracking solution please do get in touch by email on info@bridgefleetsolutions.co.uk or ring us on 0208 402 2350.

 

The impact of fatigue on your fleet drivers