Driving fatigue is a hazard faced by all motorists especially during the summer where long holiday journeys are aggravated by higher temperatures. An alarming 4 in 10 motorway accidents are caused by tiredness (Source: The AA). By recognising the symptoms of fatigue you can learn how to prevent it.

Getting some fresh air into the car and turning the music up can help but they aren't the solution as their effects are limited. the best advice is as follows:

• Break any journey of over 3 hours with a 20 minute break and on longer journeys, take a break every two hours or so. 
• Frequent short stops (of at least 20 minutes) are better than one long stop. 
• Avoid heavy meals and alcohol before driving. 
• Follow the advice in the Highway Code and counter sleepiness by taking a short nap (up to 15 minutes) or drink two cups of strong coffee.
• Avoid driving between midnight and 6am and between 2pm - 4pm times when the body experiences a natural "circadian dip", and is likely to be sluggish and sleepy

Microsleep is the silent killer behind the wheel. A driver who takes a 4 second microsleep whilst travelling at 62mph will have travelled over 111 metres totally out of control

For more information visit www.driverfatiguekills.com