Driving when tired can be as lethal as drink driving and could be linked to 20 per cent of driver deaths in the State, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) warned yesterday at the start of the bank holiday weekend.
As the authority launched its winter safety campaign highlighting driver fatigue, the Garda announced its road safety enforcement operation for the weekend.
The RSA described driver fatigue as the silent killer which could have been a contributory factor in almost 200 driver deaths over the past five years.
RSA chief executive Noel Brett said: "The people who are most at risk of being involved in a driver fatigue-related crash are drivers who try to fight the effects of sleep when driving. Tactics such as turning up the volume on the radio and opening the window do not work."
According to Mr Brett, in cases of extreme tiredness brought on by sleep deprivation, the only cure is sleep.
The critical points at which driver fatigue-related collisions happened were between 2am and 6am, and mid-afternoon between 2pm and 4pm, when our "circadian rhythm" or body clock was at its lowest point, he said.
Particularly at risk were males aged 18 to 30, shift workers, goods vehicles drivers and people with sleep disorders.
"If a driver persists in fighting sleep while driving, the impairment level is the same as driving while over the drink-drive limit. Eventually a driver will drift in and out of consciousness and experience 'micro-sleeps' which can last for up to 10 seconds. In this time a driver has no control of the vehicle. Drivers can experience such a micro-sleep with their eyes wide open," he said.
The RSA warned that driver fatigue also magnified the effects of alcohol. It was estimated that alcohol was twice as potent mid-afternoon and in the early hours of the morning because people were more likely to be tired then. Even small amounts of alcohol consumed at these times rendered a driver unfit to drive.
The RSA's advertising campaign will continue through the winter. The radio advertisements feature the brother of a driver who died after falling asleep at the wheel.
Charlie Mitchell's brother, Francis, a psychiatric nurse who worked long shifts and had long commutes to work, died on July 23rd, 2006.
"My brother Fran was stone cold sober when he was killed. It was 1.30am and he fell asleep at the wheel. Fran's injuries were horrific. In a split second everything changed," he said.
Minister for Transport Martin Cullen has pleaded with drivers to take extra care over the bank holiday weekend.
The Minister said: "The fact is that speeding kills; drink driving kills and not wearing a seatbelt kills. Add driver fatigue to any one of these and the risk of road fatality is still greater."
Gardaí will mount a road safety enforcement operation over the weekend focusing on drink driving and speeding offences.
Significant numbers of mandatory alcohol testing checkpoints are planned.
Last October bank holiday, five people were killed on the roads and 137 injured. A total of 324 arrests were made for drink driving offences.
1. Never drive if you are fighting sleep.
2. When you start fighting sleep at the wheel, your impairment is as dangerous as driving over the legal alcohol limit.
3. Do not use tactics such as turning up the volume on the radio and opening the window as they do not work.
4. Do stop and park in a safe place.
5. Take a nap for 15 minutes (set your mobile phone alarm).
4. To make the most of your break take a caffeine drink before the nap (150mg of caffeine, eg two cups of coffee).
5. After the nap, get some fresh air and stretch your legs.
6. By following all of the above advice you should be able to drive for another hour or more.