Fatigue Driving: Powerful Prevention Solution is Key to Saving Your Fleet Drivers
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As we strive to improve the way we run our everyday operations, we often find ourselves barely catching our breath in an effort to keep the ball rolling. In the long run, this may affect our health and ability to continue working.
You may find yourself falling asleep on your desk because you had to finish a report the night before, but what about fleet drivers? Their eyes need to be glued to the windscreen at all times; alert and fully awake.
Driver fatigue is a real issue. Let's examine its effects and how you can help develop healthier driving habits on your team.
In this article, you will:
Learn to identify the signs of fatigue
Find out the reasons behind driver fatigue
Discover the risk factors of fatigued driver behaviour
See how you and your drivers can avoid these risks
The Workplace Safety and Health Council defines fatigue as a state of tiredness leading to reduced mental or physical performance. This is a feeling of drowsiness that results in reduced mental and/or physical performance. Fatigue decreases a person’s ability to be alert, which for drivers compromises reflex ability and decision-making.
Fatigued driving is a road hazard that leads to thousands of accidents each year. Singapore’s legal drink-driving limit is strictly 80 milligrams per 100ml of blood, and studies have shown that drivers who go without sleep for 17-19 hours have a similar mental state to someone with a blood-alcohol level of 0.05%. Even worse, a driver who hasn’t slept for 28 hours has a similar mental state to a person with a blood alcohol level of 0.10%, showing us that driving under conditions of extreme exhaustion is no different from driving under the influence.
Here’s a breakdown of the most common signs of fatigue to look out for.
Telltale signs of driver fatigue
Drivers may not always realise exactly how tired they are until they’re on the verge of making an accident, so being able to identify the warning signs can help avoid these unfortunate incidents
Frequent yawning: If you haven't been getting enough sleep, you may find yourself yawning a lot more than usual during the day. Yawning is also linked to stress, anxiety, and depression, so it’s important to take note of excessive yawning and make sure you take a break.
Headaches: A headache every now and then may not be something to worry about, but persistent headaches could be a sign of a sleeping disorder, overtiredness, dehydration, or several other chronic illnesses. High caffeine intake associated with energy drinks and coffee is also strongly linked to headaches.
Muscle pain: A lack of sleep affects the body’s ability to repair cells and tissues. So, if the body doesn’t get enough time to recuperate, it will frequently experience aches and pains and not have enough time to go through a natural healing process.
Blurry vision: When eye muscles are overworked, they have difficulty focusing, resulting in double or blurry vision that can be detrimental, as sharp vision is essential for safe driving.
Heavy-looking eyes: Tiredness and reduced blinking go hand in hand and can lead to dry eyes. This then causes the eye to look red and feel sore, irritated, and heavy.
Disconnected thoughts: Mental fatigue or exhaustion affects one’s ability to think, solve problems, or process information, which can leave you feeling detached and unmotivated.
Seven things that make drivers feel drowsy
Long hours on the road Even on holiday road trips, with ample breaks, drivers can still get tired. Now imagine a driver who has to do that almost every other day of their life. Being on the road for long hours can cause fatigue, especially if the driver is pushing to get tasks done quicker by not making regular stops to rest.
Stress Stress is one of the main causes of chronic fatigue. High levels of stress and anxiety affect energy levels and may result in you feeling drowsy no matter how much sleep you get. A stressed mind may cause sleep interruptions and disorders such as insomnia.
Medication Certain medicines, such as antidepressants, allergy medications, cancer treatments, and blood pressure medications, can make you feel tired because they affect chemicals in your brain called neurotransmitters. Your nerves use neurotransmitters to carry messages to each other.
Sleeping pattern disruptions Such as inadequate sleep, prolonged wakefulness, and being awake at a time when the brain is programmed to be asleep. This can be caused by poorly planned trip schedules where drivers can only sleep for a few hours before having to be on the road again or not having enough rest breaks during the long-distance drive.
Drinking and smoking habits Alcohol slows down the nervous system and disturbs normal sleeping patterns. Other “drugs” such as caffeine and cigarettes stimulate the nervous system, which can cause insomnia.
Lack of exercise Drivers normally don’t have time to go to the gym or take a 20-minute walk; they’re always on the road, and any time they get off is dedicated to resting. Studies have shown that the more physical activity you get, the more likely you are to feel energetic. Regular exercise also increases concentration levels.
Extensive shift work Working long or double shifts contributes to fatigue, as the driver doesn’t get enough time to rest up for their next shift. South African fleet companies are required to monitor and record their drivers’ working hours and limit them as required by the South African Department of Transport to prevent driver fatigue.
The risks for fatigued drivers
Concentration: A lack of sleep leads to lower levels of concentration and alertness, making it difficult to pay attention or reason logically.
Motor-skill learning: Fatigue limits skill execution, and studies have shown that it also affects the ability to learn new skills. Sleep deprivation also causes slow reactions making it difficult for drivers to give quick responses.
Mental health:Working while tired can significantly alter a person’s mood. It causes irritability and anger, memory loss, and reduces the ability to cope with stress.
Jail time: Many truck accidents result in fatalities. Depending on the severity of the accident and who is at fault, drivers may face a loss of income and possible jail time.
How driver fatigue affects fleet businesses
Increased risk of accidents Fatigue makes it difficult for drivers to maintain a consistent speed and impairs the driver's ability to respond to sudden changes in traffic conditions, which then leads to disastrous outcomes on the road.
High repair costs The increase in the price of vehicle parts due to inflation has raised repair costs and insurance premiums. Constant vehicle repairs will lead to financial loss, as will accidents that cause fleet cargo, which adds to the financial implications.
Employee retention Drivers prefer jobs that provide work-life balance, so if they feel that they’re being overworked, they might start coming to work lacking motivation and eventually leave. Continuously recruiting new drivers is not only expensive, as it requires constant onboarding and training, but also affects your employees’ morale and can lead to negativity in the workplace.
Keeping your drivers safe is a top priority that not only protects them but also your bottom line. Here’s how you can help your drivers avoid fatigue:
Regular medical checkups
Encourage drivers to visit their doctors for regular checkups for safety and well-being. This ensures that drivers are physically and mentally fit to be on the road for long hours.
Avoid large meals before driving
The food that drivers eat while on the road also has an impact. Drivers often opt for large portions of fast food as they do not have access to facilities where they can prepare nutritious meals. It is recommended that they stock up on fruits for the road and choose lighter meals like sandwiches, soups, and other healthy, ready-made options.
Don’t depend on caffeine
Many of us rely on caffeine as a pick-me-up, but the rush only lasts for about 6 hours and then starts to decline drastically. As the caffeine wears off, the withdrawal symptoms start kicking in, which include headache and fatigue.
Coach your drivers
Advanced fleet management platforms offer driver training and coaching tools that help fleet managers identify key areas for improvement. These tools also train drivers to practice responsible, defensive driving techniques and identify warning signs that they need to slow down and take a break.
Take scheduled breaks
Not having enough breaks hinders a driver’s ability to stay alert. Taking their scheduled breaks helps drivers recharge and mentally freshen up to safely continue their trips.
Get a reliable driver monitoring system
Following your drivers around everywhere is impossible, the easiest way to check if they are distracted is by investing in a fleet management solution that encourages drivers' safety and gives alerts when there are potential dangers. Using AI technology to keep track of driver behaviour will save your fleet business a fortune.
That’s why there’s Catrack!
Attain successful fatigue management with Cartrack
Our industry-leading fleet management solutions help you and your drivers navigate high-risk behaviour, here are some of the features that will help you save on repairs and ensure safety for everyone on the road:
ADAS Our Advanced Driver Assistance Systemsheighten the awareness of drivers by monitoring the distance between vehicles to detect blind spots and give front-collision warnings. Drivers get timely alerts to prevent that will save them from bumper disasters.
Driver Scorecards Receive detailed insights into the performance of your drivers so you can spot areas of improvement and provide coaching.
Ai LiveVision Boost driver safety with your AI LiveVision camera solution. With this, drivers get real-time audible alerts whenever distracted behaviours such as fatigue, yawning, cell phone use, and smoking are detected. This allows drivers to correct their actions and avoid potentially fatal crashes quickly.
Driver hours of service (HOS) monitoring HOS restricts the number of hours a driver can operate without taking breaks. This ensures that all drivers get enough rest, reducing the risk of accidents and fatalities. Our advanced fleet management platform and driver ID tags allow you to easily track your drivers’ hours of service, helping keep your fleet compliant and your drivers well-rested.
Let Cartrack help you keep your drivers wide awake and attentive
Our proactive safety measures not only protect your drivers but also prevent vehicle downtime and heavy repair costs, improving fleet efficiency.
What else would you like to know about driver fatigue? Here are some of our frequently asked questions.
These are our four most commonly asked questions about driver fatigue:
What is the best way to prevent fatigue and driving? Take breaks every 3 hours, get out of the car and stretch, take a 20-minute nap, and, most importantly, sleep for at least 7-8 hours a day.
What should you do to prevent fatigue from affecting your driving? Avoid driving at night, get hydrated, take breaks, eat light meals, and switch on the radio.
Why is driver fatigue important? Fatigue is a major cause of road accidents and could be as dangerous as driving under the influence.
What are the strategies that may reduce driver fatigue crashes? Encourage employee health checkups, establish effective driving schedules, and invest in a fleet management platform that makes driver monitoring easier.
Keep your drivers healthy and happy and your business thriving. Contact us today.
Driver fatigue is one of the leading causes of fatal crashes. See how modern technology can help combat that and save your fleet the worries.
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