Sleepy drivers as dangerous as drunks

Monday, January 09, 2006

Study finds fatigue as dangerous as drink-driving
Three drivers measured over 24-hour period
Even professional race driver couldn't react quickly

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A sleep-deprived driver is just as much as menace behind the wheel as a drunk driver, a report claims.

In the study commissioned by Britannia Rescue, three drivers – including former British Touring Car Champion Jason Plato – were deprived of sleep for 24 hours and wired up to measure changes in brain activity as they sat behind the wheel of a simulator.

The study showed that all three motorists experienced a significant and potentially fatal decline in their ability to think straight and react quickly.

The report's author, psychologist Dr David Lewis, said: 'The drivers' thinking processes slowed, their speech became slurred and they handled the car with extreme caution.

'One driver ended up driving on the pavement and making similarly serious errors behind the wheel. These tests have provided a dramatic illustration of the extent to which lack of sleep can transform even the most competent of drivers into a danger to themselves and others.'