Driver Fatigue

Fatigue is a general term commonly used to describe the experience of being sleepy, tired or exhausted. Fatigue is both a physical and a mental experience.

Driver fatigue can severely impair judgment and can affect anyone. It is particularly dangerous because one of the symptoms is decreased ability to judge our own level of tiredness.

Other symptoms vary between drivers, but may include:

yawning
poor concentration
tired or sore eyes
restlessness
drowsiness
slow reactions
boredom
feeling irritable
making fewer and larger steering corrections
missing road signs
having difficulty in staying in the lane
microsleeps.

Fatigue is a major contributor to the NSW road toll. In 2007 there were 80 fatalities on NSW roads.

High risk times for fatigue-related fatal crashes are:

Night time/early morning: 10pm to 6am
Afternoon: 1pm to 3pm