Media Release
April 13 2006
Crash warning for long weekend
University of South Australia experts are worried that driver fatigue
could cause more serious crashes this Easter long weekend. A new study
has found that 28 per cent of Australians (30 per cent of South
Australians) have admitted to momentarily falling asleep at the wheel,
with potentially deadly consequences.
It's a serious issue because one in five accidents are caused by
fatigue, according to
Dr Stuart Baulk of UniSA’s
Centre for Sleep
Research. “Most of these accidents kill or seriously injure people
because a tired driver is less attentive and less likely to react in
time by slowing down or trying to avoid the crash.”
It is estimated that 15 to 20 per cent of road deaths are caused by
driver fatigue. With increased traffic over the long weekend and school
holidays, experts agree that this is potentially one of the most
dangerous times of the year on our roads.
“Drivers will be in a rush to get somewhere and many won’t take the time
to stop and rest,” Dr Baulk says. “It’s frustrating because all of these
accidents are preventable. People are dying and it's totally
preventable.”
While drivers may know they’re tired, research has shown that they often
underestimate how much it puts them at risk. Using a computerised
driving simulator, subjects tested at UniSA’s sleep lab repeatedly crash
when they haven’t had enough sleep.
“What we find is that people think they closed their eyes for two or
three seconds when in fact their eyes were closed for more than eight
seconds,” Dr Baulk explains. “When you work that out in terms of
distance, that's the difference between driving off the road or hitting
another car and avoiding a crash."
Tips for getting to your destination safely include getting at least
seven hours sleep the night before a long drive, not driving at times
you’d normally be asleep and taking breaks every 90 minutes. Whenever
possible, share the driving with someone else, take power naps for 20
minutes if you’re tired and always be sure to give yourself extra time
to get where you’re going.
Contact for interviews
- Dr Stuart Baulk mobile 0410 796 381 email stuart.baulk@unisa.edu.au
Media contact
- Tess van Straaten mobile 0412 102 662 email tess.vanstraaten@unisa.edu.au