Many road accidents occur during the regular sleeping hours of the night.

The body is naturally programmed to sleep at night and be active and awake during the day.

When the driver drives in instances such as:

• Being awake for several hours without sleep
• Driving late at night
• Having finished a long shift of work
• Health factors or medications that may cause fatigue
• Driving, in these cases, can cause both mental and physical fatigue

Driving when fatigued can result in the following:

• Sleeping on the wheel
• Slow reaction times
• Poor judgment
• Inability to remain in the designated lane
• Short-term memory loss
• Loss of concentration

There are several ways to notice if the driver is tired as their body has several indicators, such as:

• Yawning
• Unable to keep eyes open
• Rapid blinking
• Heavy eyelids
• Rubbing the eyes
• Difficulty in keeping head up
• Loss of motivation
• Impatience
• Stiffness
• Lack of concentration

If the driver notices any of these symptoms of fatigue, they can:

• Take a taxi/ public transport
• Take breaks
• Drink water
• Occasionally switch drivers

To avoid fatigue altogether, the driver must:

• Get enough sleep before any long driving
• Avoid driving for several hours on end without breaks
• Make regular, planned stops every few hours
• Avoid driving at night
• Avoid driving immediately after long shifts

Students and late night-shift workers should take special care not to be fatigued when driving.

In a 2011 survey of Canadian drivers:

Source: https://tests.ca/driving-statistics/