Warning issued over driver tiredness
Personal insurance
15th February 2010
Sleepy drivers are posing a significant risk on the roads, a new study has revealed.
Research carried out by scientists from the University of Bologna in Italy discovered that adolescent drivers are twice as likely to have a crash if they are feeling tired or have had poor quality sleep.
Writing in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, professor of neurology and lead author Fabio Cirignotta declared that the only solution to tiredness behind the wheel is to pull over and take a short nap.
"Commonly used countermeasures to fatigue - such as opening the window, listening to the radio, or drinking a coffee - are known to be short-lasting and, essentially, useless," he declared.
The survey covered 339 students and indicated that 80 had crashed at least once, with 15 per cent blaming sleepiness as the major cause of the accident, while the proportion admitting to driving when sleepy was higher among this group than the general population.
Research published earlier this year by ICM indicated that male motorists are more likely to take risks when driving in snow and icy conditions than their female counterparts, increasing the chance of accidents.
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