1 in 4 Oz drivers risks death by falling asleep while driving
June 12th, 2010 - 3:16 pm ICT by ANIMelbourne, June 12 (ANI): An Internet survey has found that one in every four drivers in Australia risks death by falling asleep at the wheel.
The survey of 2818 Australians also found that one in 10 who have been involved in a motor vehicle accident listed fatigue as a contributing factor.
AAMI spokesman Mike Sopinski said this was an alarming statistic, which highlighted the importance of taking regular rest breaks when driving long distances.
“People driving when tired or driving over long distances without sufficient breaks are putting themselves and other road users at risk,” the Courier Mail quoted him as saying.
“Yet more than half of all Queensland drivers (56 percent) say they are willing to drive for three or more hours without stopping for a break and one in every 10 drivers (10 percent) admits they are willing to take the risk of driving for more than four hours straight,” he revealed.
But the research also shows more than half of Queensland drivers (54 percent) have stopped at a Driver Reviver site or rest area when on the road during holiday periods.
Sopinski said drivers travelling on this Queen’s Birthday long weekend should rest before heading off, share the driving, take regular rest stops, allow extra travel time and avoid starting a long trip at the end of the day. (ANI)
- Younger and older drivers label each other the most hazardous: Oz study - Dec 07, 2009
- Its official: male drivers are more aggressive and prone to road rage - Jan 25, 2009
- Fines, not death, top worry for speeding drivers: Oz study - Dec 16, 2010
- Anxiety, depression accounts for risky driving - May 18, 2011
- A Briton fined every 3 minutes for using phone while driving - Dec 12, 2011
- Men drivers twice as likely to crash as women: Survey - Apr 18, 2011
- Brain exercises reduce accident risk in older drivers - Jul 18, 2010
- Listening to sports on radio as risky as drink-driving - Jul 03, 2010
- Dutch drive more often under influence of drugs - Sep 27, 2011
- Mobiles, music, lipstick putting motorists lives at risk - Jul 19, 2011
- Male drivers 'more likely to give way to others than women' - Apr 25, 2011
- More than a third of Brit adults 'tolerate drink-driving' - Jun 19, 2009
- Men more prone to distraction by in-car GPS devices - Mar 03, 2009
- Identifying with car prompts aggressive driving - Oct 18, 2011
- 'Touch-screen devices distract drivers' - Dec 21, 2011
Tags: alarming statistic, australians, courier mail, driver reviver, fatigue, holiday periods, internet survey, long distances, long trip, melbourne, motor vehicle accident, queen, queensland, rest area, rest stops, risk, road users, spokesman, travel time, wheel