If you fall asleep at the wheel you risk killing yourself, your passengers and other innocent victims. An estimated 300 people a year are killed where a driver has fallen asleep at the wheel.

To avoid driving tired please read the tips below to ensure you have a safe journey.

Before you start your journey:

  • Plan your journey to include a 15 minute break every two hours of driving
  • Make sure you are fit to drive: have a goodnight’s sleep before setting out on a long
  • journey
  • Remember the risks if you have to get up unusually early to start your trip, or have a
  • long drive home after a full day’s work
  • Avoid making long trips between midnight-6am and 2-4pm when natural alertness is low
  • Even a small amount of alcohol, some medicines and drugs can make you drowsy and you’re in danger of falling asleep at the wheel.

When you are on your journey:

  • Take a 15 minute break every two hours of driving
  • Share the driving if possible
  • If you start to feel sleepy find a safe place to stop (not the hard shoulder of a motorway) as soon as possible
  • Ideally you need a proper sleep but an effective emergency countermeasure to help
  • you get to a safe place where you can get proper sleep is the combination of two cups

of strong coffee or high caffeine drink and a nap.

Caffeine takes about 20 minutes to take effect. This is time for a short nap. This
countermeasure should allow you to continue driving but only for a short time.

You do not fall asleep suddenly without any warning.

If you are yawning or having difficulty concentrating you are at risk of falling asleep at the wheel. The only cure is to sleep.

Opening the window for fresh air, turning up the radio or taking exercise will do little to prevent you from falling asleep.

Don’t leave it until it is too late 

Difficulty keeping your eyes open, your head nodding and your vehicle drifting out of lane are not warning signs of tiredness; they are symptoms of a microsleep.

You need to stop long before you get to this point.

A more reliable early warning of tiredness is repeated yawning. When this starts you will need to get off the road and find somewhere to sleep properly.

The only real cure for sleepiness is proper sleep.

A caffeine drink and a 20 minute nap is a short-term solution only. It cannot be repeated over a long period.