THE DEFINITIVE TRUCKING SITE

Past Issues

September 2008


Wake up call for
transporters and Drivers

According to the Road Traffic Management Corporations Road Traffic Report dated March 2008, the number of fatal crashes from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 totalled 11,577. The number of accidents caused by trucks was 1,581. 

Anecdotal evidence suggests that as many as 60% of truck accidents may be due to driver fatigue. A high proportion of fatigue related accidents are fatal due to the fact that a sleepy driver has little or no reaction time to adjust the steering or to apply the breaks to avoid an accident. Fatigue related accidents are three times more likely to cause death or serious injury. These type of accidents mostly occur between 10.00 pm and 6.00 am as well as mid-afternoon.

However alarming the statistics, it seems that transporters and drivers alike are not taking action to manage the various factors contributing towards fatigue. 

But what exactly is fatigue and what causes it? It is a physical and mental condition of inadequacy or impairment caused by a lack of sleep, emotional stress, illness or poor nutrition. Simply put, fatigue is a tiredness of mind and body affecting the cognitive ability to assess risks, anticipate problems and react to the unexpected. 

The majority of adults need seven or eight hours of sleep per night to function effectively. Some of the drivers interviewed, who are assigned to long distance travelling, admitted they average four hours of sleep a night, driving up to 10 or more hours per day, some totalling 90 hours’ driving per week. The incentive? To earn a liveable income. 

If a person stays awake long enough they will eventually fall asleep. The body will take microsleeps (nodding off) with eyes wide open. These can last up to 30 seconds. Microsleeps are uncontrollable and the longer you stay awake the more frequently it occurs. If a person falls into a microsleep and nods off at 100 km/h, he will travel 100 meters in four seconds – basically in a state of unconsciousness. This explains why vehicles run off the road or why drivers find themselves driving on the wrong side of the road. By the time the driver recovers from dozing off, it is too late to react in time to prevent an accident. A driver who persists in fighting sleep while driving has the same impairment level as a person who is over the legal alcohol limit. 

The best way to avoid a fatal fatigue crash while driving is to recognise the early warning signs. These include: 

  • Excessive yawning 

  • Poor concentration – cannot remember driving the last few kilometers 

  • Tired, itchy or burning eyes 

  • Wondering or disconnected thoughts 

  • Restlessness 

  • Drowsiness 

  • Slow reactions 

  • Battling to keep your head up 

  • Drifting between the lanes and off the road

  • Missing traffic signs

  • Boredom

 

How can drivers avoid fatigue?

The key factor in preventing fatigue is to be disciplined. Get enough sleep (at least six hours per night). Exercise frequently (brisk walking). Eat balanced, smaller meals and more often. Avoid large meals when on the road as a full stomach causes drowsiness. Avoid alcohol for at east eight hours before driving. Ensure that the cab is ventilated . When a driver finds himself battling to fight sleep whilst driving, the first and immediate reaction should be to find a safe place to stop and to take a short break of at least 15 minutes, to stretch the legs, get fresh air and take a caffeine drink. 

What can transporters do to reduce the risk of fatigue? 

Considering the consequences of fatigue – damage to vehicles and loads, not to mention loss of lives - transporters must ensure that they don’t over-assign drivers. Give them a break between trips to recover. Ensure that the drivers are fit and healthy and arrange frequent medical check-ups.

Furthermore they should enforce the time limits for driving periods as per the SANS regulation 102331; 

Annex F:

  • a maximum of 5 hours of continuous driving time; 

  • a maximum total of 14 hours of driving time in a period of 24 hours;

  • a minimum resting period of 15 minutes after every two hours or 30 minutes after five hours; 

  • a minimum continuous resting period of 9 hours in a period of 24 hours.

The consequences of fatigue are too serious to be caught napping with eyes wide open.

 

Information supplied by Edwin Stafford Northcote Managing Director, SA Training Services

Copyright © 2008 FleetWatch magazine and FleetWatch On-Line.
No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written permission from the publishers. 
Views published are not necessarily those of the publishers.