The document discusses the causes, symptoms, and consequences of driver fatigue, highlighting factors such as stress, medication, and lack of sleep. It describes signs of drowsiness and mentions the specific times during which drivers are most tired. Additionally, it warns about the dangers of microsleeps while driving and emphasizes the increased accident risk for very young and very old drivers.

1. DT Driver Training
Driving tired
Causes, symptoms, consequences and remedies

2. What causes fatigue/tiredness?
Many things can cause tiredness: a new baby, medication, your diet, shift
work, stress, long hours, sleep apnoea, depression, grief, alcohol, drugs,
lack of exercise, thyroid disorders, heart disease and sleeping too much

3. Symptoms and signs of fatigue
There are plenty of signs to
warn you of drowsiness when
driving: frequent blinking,
droopy eyes, microsleeps,
difficulty maintaining a
constant speed, slow reaction
times, yawning, blurred vision,
poor concentration, missing
road signs, feeling irritable,
sore muscles, dizziness,
headache, rubbing your head,
and more

4. When are you most tired?
You’ll feel most tired between 2-4pm, 1-6am and if you
are usually used to having a nap at that time

5. Things that don’t help fatigue
The following don’t help fatigue: opening the window, playing loud
music, sugary or caffeinated drinks (e.g. coffee), putting the heater or
air conditioning on, fatty foods, shaking your head

6. Microsleeps
Ignore your tiredness and you’ll have microsleeps. If you have
a 4-second microsleep at 100km/h, you’ll travel the length of a
soccer pitch (about 110 metres) blind to what’s on the road

7. Falling asleep at the wheel
Crashes involving sleeping drivers rarely include
braking, and are often head-on with another vehicle

8. Accident risk by age
Very old and very young drivers have the largest crash risk

9. DT Driver Training
This presentation is part of the fatigue
module in DT Driver Training’s Fleet
Driver Training Plan.
To check out the remaining modules, and
other information visit:
https://www.drivingtests.co.nz/
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