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Drivers are winding windows down for a fresh
air wake up whilst driving on long journeys rather than stopping
for a break - 26th March 2008
A recent poll by
YouGov has found that 75%
of UK drivers will open their windows in an attempt to stay
awake on journeys when they are feeling tired.
The poll also revealed that 4% will
vigorously shake their heads and 3% will slap their faces in an
attempt to stay awake whilst at the wheel.
Think!
the government’s road safety website advises that if a driver is
feeling tired, rather than risk possible
road accidents, they should as an emergency measure pull
over when safe to do so and have two cups of coffee or an
alternative high caffeine drink and rest for 10-15 minutes,
whilst the caffeine takes effect.
The survey also showed that 24% of drivers
have driven for over four hours without taking a break, while 4%
said that they had driven for over seven hours without a break.
These figures are alarming with the chances
of fatigue increased by these long driving stints, which will
then greatly increases the chances of a
road accident.
The UK Government says that on major roads
one in five crashes is caused by tired drivers.
This is putting not only the driver at risk,
but also other road users and pedestrians alike.
If a tired driver does crash but is
fortunate enough not to injure anyone, they will almost
certainly need to make a
road accident claim
against their insurance which would affect their no claims
discount costing them money.
Drivers should
plan their journeys to incorporate regular breaks if it is a
long journey, which is what 22% of the poll said they tried to
do. 54% of drivers said they tried to beat previous times if
they had made the journey before.
The poll was carried out across 1,500
motorists.
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