Fleet managers can now access a new tool to help them deal with one of the most common causes of road crashes.
Global Fleet Champions has published a factsheet on driver fatigue to advise fleet managers on how tiredness affects safe driving, and strategies to reduce the risk that drivers will suffer from it.
The guidance not only covers how fatigue affects driver behaviour, it discusses the organisational and lifestyle factors that contribute to fatigue, as well as the costs to people and to businesses.
It also outlines the different responsibilities that managers and drivers have to make sure that fatigue does not lead to a road crash.
Research shows that fatigue contributes to 10-20% of road crashes and that drivers who have been awake for more than 17 hours are more than twice as likely to crash.
Fatigue directly affects a person’s brain, reducing their alertness, judgment, and reasoning, all of which are important for safely controlling a vehicle.
The factsheet is based on a webinar broadcast in 2020 that featured input from fatigue expert Dr Paul Jackson of Fresh Air Training.
Global Fleet Champions factsheets are for anyone who manages people who drive for work, regardless of budget, fleet size or vehicle type, and are designed to give managers short, simple advice on key road safety topics.
Scott Williams, head of programme delivery at Brake, the road safety charity, said: “Fatigue is one of the primary causes of road crashes, and professional drivers are especially vulnerable to it. This means fleet organisations need to make sure their policies and procedures are effective for managing the risks associated with driver fatigue, and this factsheet is an invaluable tool for learning what good policies and procedures look like.”