If we said to you \u201cdon\u2019t drive drunk\u201d, then you might well be offended at the very suggestion, and rightly so. We all know how dangerous drivers can be when they\u2019re drunk, drugged, or distracted. But the other critical danger that\u2019s often underestimated is tiredness. One in five accidents on major roads are caused by tired drivers, making it a far more potent risk than many people give it credit for.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, it\u2019s a danger that can be especially prevalent at Christmas, when so many of us are undertaking longer journeys than usual to go and see family. Let\u2019s be honest, nobody wants to end up scrapping their car<\/a><\/strong> on the Christmas commute, especially in the dark and the cold \u2013 so here\u2019s what you need to know about tiredness!<\/p>\n Tiredness is a consistent and widespread issue for drivers, and a significant proportion of the UK population have openly admitted to fearing about its effect on their journey. For example, according to the AA:<\/p>\n \u2022 1 in 8 (13%) of drivers admit to falling asleep behind the wheel So why is it as bad as driving drunk? Well, the short answer is that both alcohol and fatigue have a detrimental effect on your reaction times, which can make all the difference between a near miss and a potentially fatal collision when you\u2019re behind the wheel. And while most people know to avoid alcohol when they\u2019re driving, not everyone assigns the same level of importance to making sure they\u2019re well rested.<\/p>\n The AA also noted a couple of influential factors that can increase the risk. Consuming a heavy meal is just one of these, as well as driving at times when you\u2019d normally be asleep, such as the early morning. Strenuous exercise is another. You\u2019ll note that a couple of those factors are closely associated with seasonal festivities (we think the first two, in case you\u2019re wondering, but each to his own), so let\u2019s have a quick look at how to keep yourself safe!<\/p>\n Well, for starters you can make sure you get a good night\u2019s rest. As we\u2019ve touched on above, it\u2019s something that lots of people underestimate! Besides that though, there are a couple of further things you can do:<\/p>\n If you know you\u2019re going to be driving throughout the morning, afternoon or evening, then make sure to stop every couple of hours, ideally with fifteen minute breaks if you\u2019re driving for longer than two or three. Plus, it\u2019s a good idea to plan your journey so that you\u2019re able to take breaks \u2013 and definitely don\u2019t start a long journey if you\u2019re already tired!<\/p>\n Even professional HGV drivers aren\u2019t expected to drive for more than 9 hours a day, so if you think a journey by car will take you longer than 8, make sure to book a hotel. Now in fairness, any journey within England itself is probably not going to take 8 hours, but if you find yourself approaching 6, then it might be an idea to think about where you\u2019re going to stop off for a bit.<\/p>\n If you find yourself rolling down the window or turning the radio up to try and combat tiredness \u2013 it doesn\u2019t work. Stop and take a break immediately, ideally with a short nap if you can. Make sure to do it somewhere safe though, not on the hard shoulder of a motorway. This is literally what service stations were built for \u2013 and of course, you can always count on them to have coffee.<\/p>\n Ultimately, you know when you\u2019re too tired to drive \u2013 even if you might not want to admit it to yourself at the time \u2013 so listen to your body. Oh, and your passengers \u2013 if you clip a kerb or something, you can generally rely on there to be at least a few quiet protests from the back.<\/p>\n Wherever you\u2019re planning on heading off for the festive season, we hope you have a very merry Christmas here at Scrap Car Network, and a happy New Year! Throughout December and beyond into 2023, we\u2019ll be doing what we do best: getting you the very best price when you scrap your car with us. All you have to do is enter your car reg and postcode<\/a><\/strong> into the fields on our homepage, and we\u2019ll provide you with a free, no-obligation instant scrap car quote! Curious to see how much your car is worth?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If we said to you \u201cdon\u2019t drive drunk\u201d, then you might well be offended at the very suggestion, and rightly so. We all know how dangerous drivers can be when they\u2019re drunk, drugged, or distracted. But the other critical danger that\u2019s often underestimated is tiredness. One in five accidents on major roads are caused by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":6477,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\nHow big is the risk?<\/h1>\n
\n\u2022 2 in 5 (37%) say that at least once they\u2019ve been tired enough to worry about losing consciousness while driving
\n\u2022 Men are three times as likely as women (17% versus 5%) to say they\u2019ve fallen asleep behind the wheel<\/p>\nHow can I avoid the pitfalls of driving tired this Christmas?<\/h1>\n
Take regular breaks<\/h2>\n
Don\u2019t drive for too long<\/h2>\n
Trust your instincts<\/h2>\n