ABSTRACT

Fatigue is a major road safety problem of similar dimensions to drinking while driving. In Australia, for example, current estimates suggest that fatigue plays a role in up to 30% of fatal crashes,1 which is a similar level of involvement to that of alcohol. A number of studies have demonstrated the role of fatigue in crashes. For example, the Auckland car crash case control study showed that the risk of injuryrelated crashes increased signifi cantly for drivers who reported that they were sleepy while driving, for drivers with 5 h sleep or less, and for drivers who were on the road between 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.2 Similarly, a case control study in the United States3 showed a clear relationship between long-distance driving, increasing fatigue, and increased crash risk, with drivers doing more than 600 mile journeys showing a more than 10 times increased risk of crashing and drivers who reported falling asleep at the wheel showing a 14-fold increase in crash risk.