During Bank Holiday weekends, traffic increases by 30%. And because many people are making long journeys by car, it's also a time when drivers put themselves at risk from falling asleep at the wheel. But while driver tiredness accounts for up to 1 in 10 of all road accidents, our advice to drivers is to plan their trips and make time for a break every two hours. So, the Department for Transport has joined forces with a range of brand partners to generate awareness for the THINK! Driver Tiredness campaign. The message is to make time for a break.

The problem is worse than many people think. Research commissioned by the Department for Transport also found that sleepy drivers cause up to 20% of crashes on motorways and similar roads. Worse still, because sleeping drivers do not react to danger, they are especially likely to sustain serious injury.

The risk affects all road users, but two groups have been identified who are in particular danger: people who drive as part of their job and young men aged 30 years and under. Furthermore, all drivers should be aware when making long trips that natural alertness is low between midnight and 6am.

The good news is that people don't fall asleep without warning. Sleepy motorists are aware of their tiredness, particularly when they reach the stage of 'fighting sleep' (i.e. doing things which they mistakenly think will keep them awake, such as winding down the window or turning up the radio).

The key THINK! campaign message is to make time for a break. So when planning a journey:

* Stop for a 15 minute break every two hours on a long journey. Find a safe place to stop - but not on the hard shoulder.

* Drink two cups of coffee or a high-caffeine drink.

* Take a short nap and resume the journey 15-20 minutes later.

I wholeheartedly support any attempt to solve the problem of sleepiness/fatigue, but there are a few points I would like to make. A few years ago I drove (too) many miles (too) late in the night after working l(too)ong hours and faced (too) many frightening moments.

I once realised that I was vaguely using the engine noise volume as an indicator of speed when I came to on the downhill stretch of a motorway, wondered sleepily why everyone was driving so slowly, and then saw that I was travelling at 120 mph. I'm normally a sedate driver; this was purely fatigue. A lucky escape in more ways than one.

The opening of windows or vents has often been suggested as a means of waking up. I found the air on my face caused me to close my eyes. Shivering in cold air made me more tired. Not a good idea. The radio is no help at all. The tiredness may give warnings, but it does come on quickly. Finding a place to stop is difficult when you're very tired. The ONLY answer is to stop. Ten miles to the next service is an eternity. The advice to make stops at least every two hours is the best. Stop when you're feeling good. Drink the coffee before having a nap. It will be working when you start back on the road. Have a walk about before driving off; it loosens those muscles as well as fills the lungs.

BUT - it isn't just the driver. What about the highways authorities? Signs telling drivers not to "drive tired" are a waste of time and money. We know that - what we need are places to stop. Maybe not major service areas, just safe places off the road every few miles. Motorways and main dual carriageways with no stopping for 40 plus miles are recipes for disaster. I get a hint of the old British habit of victim blaming here. We told you so - therefore if you get it wrong - it's your fault.

On a lighter note; my Czech students fall apart laughing at my pronunciation of Skoda!

Best wishes to all

Viewer

How are we supposed to pronounce Skoda?

cheers

Jonno.

TO quote the Czechs..

"Shkoda"

Re stopping places.

I was quite impressed with the Continental take on "lay-bys" on my recent trip to The Czech Republic..

The German ones in particular are rather nice. A clean area with plenty of parking and toilets, as opposed to a 20 or 30 metre strip of tarmac which is usually taken up by a couple of trucks...

Sensible (or no) speed limits, decent roadside facilities, hardly a speed camera in site, excellent driving standards...

Think i'll sell up and move...

TO quote the Czechs..

"Shkoda"

What, sort of how Sean Connery would say it?

Oh and i read your posts about Czech

Jonno.

Ps Geoff, still can't get in touch with my Aunty. Havn't forgotten