Take a break of 15 minutes every two hours, safety campaign urgesTiredness kills 300 drivers each year, according to official statistics. To reduce the toll of fatal crashes where drivers nod off at the wheel, a new Government campaign highlights the danger of driving when you should really stop and rest. The Department for Transport, under its THINK! safety banner, is running radio commercials intended to reach all drivers. But focuses on those at the wheel for work, particularly those aged under 30.
It urges them to take 15 minutes rest for every two hours on the road, and to pull off the road if they catch themselves yawning. A YouGov poll showed that only one driver in six saw yawning as a real warning to stop, while only one in five routinely planned stops as part of their journeys. More worrying still, a quarter admitted driving for four hours or longer without a break.
Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick said: ‘we all want to finish our journeys as quickly as possible. But being tired at the wheel is a proven killer that we cannot ignore.’
