Don't die for a deadline

Fatigue is one of the biggest causes of accidents for heavy vehicle drivers.

A study in 2000 found that 45 per cent of long distance heavy vehicle drivers in Australia had experienced fatigue during their last trip. If you drive a truck or bus, it’s crucial that you know how to identify and handle the effects of fatigue.

Why is fatigue dangerous?

Fatigue doesn’t just make you feel tired. It affects your body and driving in a range of ways. This includes a slowing of your reactions, loss in concentration, and fatal ‘microsleeps’.

It also makes it harder for you to recognise how tired you actually are, and therefore difficult to recognise when fatigue is setting in.

As a professional driver, you need to understand what causes fatigue and how to pick up on the early warning signs so you can do something before it affects your driving.

Know the signs of fatigue

These include:

• Feeling tired or drowsy. - Yawning. - Sore or tired eyes.
• Feeling bored - Getting restless and uncomfortable.
• Not remembering the past few minutes or forgetting where you are going.
• Getting angry or annoyed on the road - Missing road signs or taking wrong turns.
• Reacting slower - Under or over-correcting your steering - Straying out of your lane.
• Experiencing microsleeps, where you ‘nod off ’ for a short time.