How does fatigue affect driving

Now that we are known to the symptoms, causes and consequences of driver fatigue; let us know the ways to avoid the condition, in this section.

Now that we know about the symptoms, causes, and also ways to avoid driver fatigue; be very much careful and prevent self from any serious consequences of Driver fatigue. Kindly consult with your doctor to know about the best advices and preventive measures for driver fatigue. This article on Epainassist. We follow a strict editorial policy and we have a zero-tolerance policy regarding any level of plagiarism. Our articles are resourced from reputable online pages.

This article may contains scientific references. People generally don't become fatigued from driving. Usually they are already tired when they get behind the wheel from long hours, shift work, lack of sleep, sleep apnoea or physically demanding roles. Causes of drowsy driving a lack of quality sleep extreme tiredness brought on by not enough rest, this can also be due to mental or physical exertion or illness.

How fatigue affects your driving While driving tired you might find you: Have trouble remembering the last few kilometres driven, day dream or miss exits or traffic signs. Drift from your lane, tailgate, hit a shoulder rumble strip or have difficulty maintaining a consistent, correct speed. Find yourself waiting at traffic lights or not seeing lights change.

Have a slower reaction time when braking or stopping at intersections. Lusikisiki police search for murder suspects Police calls for public assistance in locating missing teenage girl. The Effects of Fatigue In general, fatigue affects task performance: a reduction in alertness, longer reaction times, memory problems, poorer psychometric coordination, and less efficient information processing.

Specific Consequences of Fatigue on Driving Behaviour For the driver the main effect of fatigue is a progressive withdrawal of attention from the road and traffic demands, leading to impaired performance behind the wheel. Steering On-the-road studies have indicated that steering performance gradually deteriorates and that performance decrements are correlated with subjective ratings of fatigue. Speed choice A German simulator study showed that participants drive faster the longer they performed the driving task.

Share 0. Previous Car sales slowed down by strikes and CO2 emissions tax. Vehicle fire in Polokwane City, Limpopo Oct 21, Top Stories. Three suspects on the run after a business robbery in Menlyn Oct 25, Oct 24, Ad Here: x Tiredness is one of the major causes of road crashes making driving while sleepy as dangerous as speeding, or driving under the influence of alcohol.

In recent years fatigue has been considered a primary contributory factor in road crashes. Yet still, many drivers believe they can push through the symptoms.

Sleep is the only cure for tiredness. If you find yourself starting to rely on caffeine and other distractions to keep you awake, you need to stop and rest, or change your plans. Loss of concentration and delayed reactions are just as fatal on a short trip as a long one. A significant number of fatigue-related crashes happen within 25km of the start of a journey.