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Driving when you are tired is a serious risk in traffic. It impairs your concentration, reaction time, and judgement, often without you noticing how quickly it happens.
In this chapter, you will learn how fatigue affects driving, which warning signs to watch for, and what to do if you become tired behind the wheel.
The effects of fatigue (tiredness) are very powerful and can be devastating in traffic.
How tired you are is affected not only by how you feel at the moment, but also by how much sleep you have had during the last 24 hours and over the last few nights. Even if you do not feel extremely tired, too little sleep can still noticeably reduce your ability to drive safely.
Your reaction time can, for example, be just as impaired after 24 hours without sleep as at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.8 per mille.
Fatigue is not caused only by lack of sleep. It can also be caused by medication, illness, or sleep problems. Examples of things that may make you unfit to drive include sleeping tablets, sedatives, some allergy medicines, fever, infections, and sleep disorders. You are always responsible for judging whether you are fit to drive.
It is illegal to drive if you are so tired that you cannot control the vehicle safely. Fatigue is treated as seriously as alcohol under traffic law, which shows how dangerous it is in traffic.
"Vehicles must not be driven by anyone who, due to illness, fatigue, the influence of alcohol, other stimulating or anaesthetic substances or for other reasons, cannot drive the vehicle in a safe manner." –Trafikförordningen 3 kap, 1 §
Driving when fatigued is prohibited
Fatigue affects many of the abilities that are important for safe driving.
Fatigue impairs your:
Fatigue is therefore a major risk in traffic. Research shows that as much as 20% of all traffic accidents are caused by fatigue.
Many fatigue-related accidents are single-vehicle accidents. A large proportion of single-vehicle accidents also happen in darkness and at dawn, which suggests that fatigue is often a contributing factor.
Fatigue and alcohol are considered two of the biggest factors behind traffic accidents.
About one in five traffic accidents is linked to driver fatigue
Fatigue rarely comes suddenly. Your body often gives several warning signs before you become so tired that you risk nodding off. It is important to recognise your own signals and act on them in time.
People notice fatigue in different ways and in different orders, but most people will recognise many of the signs listed below.
If you continue driving despite the early signs, the fatigue often becomes more noticeable and the risk increases.
It is important to recognise and pay attention to your body's signs of fatigue
At the very first signs of fatigue, you must consider whether it is safe to continue driving. If you experience stronger signs of fatigue, you must stop as soon as possible, because the risk is then high that you will suddenly nod off, no matter how hard you try to stay awake. You must learn to interpret and respect your signs of fatigue.
Fatigue is not only shown by the body's signals, but also in your driving. For example, you may begin to drive at an uneven speed, miss signs or exits, drift too close to the edge of the road or the centre line, and react later than usual in different traffic situations.
In some situations, the risk of fatigue is especially high, for example when driving at night, in the dark, and when you are getting close to your destination. At such times, it is important to pay extra attention to your body's signs of fatigue and not continue driving for too long.
The greatest risk of falling asleep behind the wheel is between 03:00–05:00. At that time, the body's activity level is at its lowest, body temperature and blood pressure drop to their lowest levels of the day, and metabolism slows down.
The risk is also especially high during the final part of a journey, as you may become less alert. This is particularly true if you are driving home, because you often know the road well and can be lulled into a false sense of security.
The risk also increases after a long work shift or too little sleep, early in the morning, or late in the evening. Even if you only feel slightly tired when you set off, fatigue can quickly increase as you drive.
Alcohol makes you more tired and reduces your ability to notice signs of fatigue, which can contribute to fatigue-related accidents. The same is true of certain medicines and other substances that make you drowsy or less alert.
The highest risk of falling asleep while driving is between 03:00–05:00
Driving long distances without resting also increases the risk of fatigue, no matter what time of day you drive. The risk is especially great if the driving is monotonous and does not require your full attention – for example if you drive on a motorway with little or no traffic.
Monotonous noise from the car's tyres and engine also increases the risk of fatigue.
Fatigue is one of the biggest causes of fatal accidents on motorways.
Microsleep is a very short, involuntary sleep episode, most often caused by lack of sleep. While driving, it is extremely dangerous because you can completely lose awareness of what is happening in traffic for a few seconds.
In the best case, the light from an oncoming vehicle, the sound of a rumble strip, or something else may wake a driver who has briefly fallen asleep. In the worst case, it can lead to a serious accident.
If you nod off behind the wheel, even for a very brief moment, you must stop immediately at the first suitable place. Once you have stopped, you should take a short nap or end your journey until you are properly rested.
If you do not stop and instead continue driving despite the fatigue, there is a high risk that you will not only nod off again, but actually fall asleep and drive off the road or collide with another vehicle or road user.
Accidents caused by drivers falling asleep behind the wheel and driving off the road, or into an oncoming vehicle, are unfortunately too common
The best protection against fatigue in traffic is to prevent it. Plan your driving so that you are well rested, take breaks in time, and do not push yourself too far.
There are several ways to reduce the risk of becoming tired when driving:
Opening a window, turning up the music, snacking, or trying to force yourself to stay alert may help only for a very short time at best. Such actions can never replace sleep, rest, or a proper break.
If you are too tired to drive, you must not drive. If you feel fatigue creeping up during the drive, you must stop and rest.
If you are too tired to drive you, must stop and get some sleep before driving again
The most effective method for reducing fatigue is to take a nap of about 20 minutes. If you sleep for longer than about 20–30 minutes, there is a greater risk that you will wake up in a deeper stage of sleep, which can make you feel even more tired afterwards. A short walk and a cup of coffee can also help, but they do not have a lasting effect without a nap.
If you feel more alert after resting, you may continue driving, but you must then be even more attentive to signs of fatigue. Once you have started to feel tired, the risk is high that it will happen again.
