Fatigue on the Road and How to Avoid It

When you are fatigued you feel tired or sleepy. It is both a mental and physical state that is often present after continuous activity, work, mental stress or disease. Its symptoms include restlessness, slow reactions, irritability, loss of concentration, microsleeps, tired or sore eyes, yawning, drowsiness, and boredom. Driving fatigue can be particularly dangerous because such activity requires constant concentration. It can make a driver miss road signs and make it difficult to stay in the same lane.

Fatigue on the road is not only a matter of how many hours a driver spends behind the wheel; time spent sleeping or the hours elapsed since the last sleep and whether it is day or night and the schedule of the driver as well as the arrangement of hours of sleep are also important facts to consider.

To avoid falling asleep while driving; and therefore prevent a terrible accident you should have in mind the following recommendations: Pull over whenever you feel drowsy, with lack of concentration, or if you can not focus your vision clearly; make sure any medication you take does not preclude you from staying awake or provokes somnolence; try to avoid long drives after work whenever possible; do not drive at times of the day when you would normally be asleep; take breaks from driving periodically (there are truck rest areas where drivers can pull over and have a break), doing so every 2 hours is the recommended rate; share the driving if it is possible; and finally, make sure you get a good night of sleep before you start a long trip.