AUTHOR Robert Gillespie

Tiredness can kill, Take a break

You may be shocked to find out that one in ten drivers within the UK admit that they have fallen asleep at one point in time behind the wheel. People are well aware of the dangers of falling asleep behind the wheel but many continue to do so with a staggering 43% of people saying they get less than the recommended seven to eight hours sleep a night but yet still get behind the wheel the next morning, one in four people also have said that they have felt drowsy enough to fall asleep behind the wheel.

Since two thirds of drivers say that they wouldn’t take a break if they found themselves drowsy when driving many use techniques to try and null the effects of drowsiness with many saying they will open a window or turn up their music loud to keep them awake. Nearly one in five however admit that they will do nothing to get rid of the effects of drowsiness and thats where the danger sets in. Driving when tired is deemed to be just as dangerous and cause just as many deaths as driving under the influence of Alcohol.

There is a huge link between a stressful lifestyle and car accidents caused by tiredness. The best advice that can be given is that drivers when tired take a break even if its only for a few minutes as it can save lives they say a short break of around 15 minutes will improve concentration and ability to act quickly dramatically and if you can’t do that take notice of what other drivers do, try and ward off the signs of tiredness don’t just do nothing about it turn up your music, open a window even though these are only short term solutions it could be the difference between life and death.

Having worked in the car rental industry for over 15 years, he really knows his stuff. Rob heads up our marketing department and as a keen traveller, always has a new location to talk about. Particularly if there is a golf course nearby.

Robert Gillespie

Traveller