THE RAC is calling for employers to introduce work-related road safety plans for their company car drivers in a bid to cut the number of road deaths and accidents caused by driver fatigue. The measures follow shocking results of an RAC poll which reveal few drivers are sufficiently aware of the potential seriousness of driving while tired.

According to the RAC, driver fatigue could be responsible for 350 deaths and up to 4,000 serious injuries a year. More than 60% of drivers questioned admitted to having driven while sleepy and 8% said they had at one time fallen asleep momentarily at the wheel. A further 30% said they felt more stressed, angry and more likely to confront other drivers when tired.

Road safety organisation Brake has produced a guidance sheet for fleet managers on preventing tiredness in a bid to cut tiredness-related accidents. The leaflet includes research into driver fatigue carried out by Loughborough University and case studies from P&O Trans European and TNT UK.

Edmund King, executive director of the RAC Foundation, said: 'The Government acknowledged the scale of the fatigue problem in the road safety review and is carrying out research into the problem. We now need action to implement a range of plans which will stem these avoidable deaths and injuries. The growing congestion on our roads will only exacerbate matters.'