RSOs and police join forces over Easter to fight driver fatigue on M1

RSOs from Milton Keynes Council and Thames Valley Police joined forces to highlight the dangers of driver fatigue over the Easter period.

Officers handed out leaflets, child activity books and other literature at Newport Pagnell Services off the M1 on Thursday 8 April.

DfT research shows that one in five road crashes on motorways and other monotonous roads are caused by drivers who fall asleep at the wheel. Sleep-related crashes are particularly dangerous and likely to result in serious injury - because the driver won't brake before impact.

Driving between midnight and 6am, and 3.00-4.00pm is particularly risky. Men under 30 are most likely to fall asleep at the wheel - in the early hours of the morning.

Officers also talked to drivers about 'microsleep' - a brief doze that lasts between two and 30 seconds.

"You might find yourself fighting sleep in a warm car by winding down the window or turning up the radio but the chances are that you might still nod off into a ‘microsleep’ for a couple of seconds," David Frost, Milton Keynes’ road safety team leader warned drivers. "If you're doing 70mph on a motorway you'll have travelled an eighth of a mile in that time."

Instead of trying to fight off drowsiness by opening a window or turning up the radio – which have been proven not to work – drivers were advised to:

• Plan their journey to include a 15-minute break every two hours.
  
• Find a safe place to stop if they feel drowsy - not the hard shoulder.
  
• Drink two cups of coffee or a high-caffeine drink, then take a short nap to allow the caffeine to kick in.
  
• Don't start a long trip if already tired.
  
• Remember the risks of an unusually early to start a long drive.
  
• Try to avoid long trips between midnight and 6am.

For further information contact David Frost, David.Frost@Milton-keynes.gov.uk.