A Wake Up Call

Every year, police see "mystery crashes" in which it is not possible to determine a cause. Many of these incidents are thought to involve a fatigued driver who fell asleep at the wheel. A typical mystery crash might occur on a highway when one vehicle drifts out of its lane into the path of oncoming traffic and hits another vehicle head-on, often with tragic results.

Drivers suffering from lack of sleep can find it difficult to perform tasks such as driving that require coordination and mental alertness. Even losing a few hours of sleep can significantly affect drivers' ability to judge or maintain speed, and to keep in the proper lane. Fatigue slows reaction time, impairs judgement and increases the risk of a collision.

No Excuses

In our 2002 Nerves of Steel survey, one out of 10 drivers admitted to falling asleep behind the wheel in the past year; that includes dozing off for a fraction of a second. Over half admitted to driving while drowsy.

Part of the problem is our busy lives. The survey revealed that 30% of all respondents (45% of those under age 30) said they cut down on sleep to fit more activities into a day. Other factors may include sleep problems related to sleep apnea or shift work, and the long distances that Canadians travel between locations. One of our most heavily traveled routes is Montreal to Windsor. Traveling that distance in Europe would take you all the way across France and halfway into Germany. The Canadian route is also more monotonous, another factor that feeds fatigue.

None of these "reasons" justifies driving when overtired. Fatigue is a form of impairment. A safe driver never takes the wheel when tired. If you can barely keep your eyes open, you should not be driving. Period.