Beginner Driver Education · Attention
Understanding Driver Fatigue: Causes, Symptoms, and Prevention
Driviology Road Safety Education Team
What this actually means for you
Here is an uncomfortable fact every instructor knows: most of the time, the car is fine and the road is fine. It is the driver's attention that wanders off. The body is naturally programmed to sleep at night and be active and awake during the day. It cannot be faked or crammed the night before a test. It is a habit you either build in your first months of driving or spend years unlearning the opposite.
Driver Fatigue: Symptoms, Causes & Prevention Strategies
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:
of drivers admitted to nodding off or
falling asleep at the wheel in the
past year.
of drivers admitted to often driving
fatigued.
of drivers ages 16-19 reported
nodding off while driving.
of drivers aged 20-24 reported
nodding off while driving.
Source: https://tests.ca/driving-statistics/
Using this on Ontario roads — and on your road test
Ontario law treats this seriously: distracted driving penalties are steep, and novice drivers face licence suspensions on top of fines. But the legal risk is honestly the smaller one — a car at 60 km/h covers the length of a basketball court in about two seconds, and a lot can step into that space. In the GTA the demands never stop: transit stops, cyclists, pedestrians looking at their own phones, delivery riders filtering through traffic. Set the car up before you move — seat, mirrors, phone away and silent, route planned — so that once you are rolling, your attention has only one job.
Questions drivers ask us
Can you explain driver fatigue in simple terms?
Students and late night-shift workers should take special care not to be fatigued when driving.
What is the easiest way to protect my attention while driving?
Set the car up before you move: phone away and on silent, mirrors and seat adjusted, route entered, music chosen. Once you are rolling, every one of those small jobs competes with the road — and the road is the only one that can hurt you.
Can I fail a road test for looking at my phone?
Reaching for a phone while driving is a serious error and, on Ontario roads, a serious offence — for novice drivers it can mean a licence suspension, not just a fine. On a test, your phone should be away and silent from the moment you get in the car.