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72-74 Mitcham Road, CR0 3RG 020 8031 6289
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TIPS FOR STAYING AWAKE AND ALERT WHEN DRIVING

Driving whilst tired is common. But, driving whilst tired or drowsy can reduce our alertness, attentiveness and delay our reaction times, especially when driving in a city.

Moreover, according to research by The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) ‘driver fatigue may be a contributory factor in up to 20% of road accidents, and up to one quarter of fatal and serious accidents’.

We’ve all experienced this and common remedies include rolling down the windows or turning up the music to keep you awake. However, whilst these may ‘wake you up’ or keep you awake they will do little to increase your alertness while driving.

Another common remedy, stopping for a cup of coffee, believe it or not, is only likely to offer very temporary respite from the effects of tiredness.

So, how can you tell if you may be too sleepy to drive? Here’s some warnings signs:

  • You find yourself continually yawning or you find it hard to keep your eyes open.
  • You ‘wake’ with a start after you catch yourself having ‘nodded off’.
  • You drift into another lane or into the oncoming lane of traffic.
  • You drift onto the “rumble strip” on the side of the road or onto the ‘cats eyes’ in the middle of the road.
  • You continually find yourself getting too close to the cars in front of you.
  • You find it hard to read road signs, miss them all together or drive past your exit.

If you experience any of these warning signs, you should pull over and take a nap or ask a passenger to take a turn with the driving.

We hope you find these tips helpful.

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