Earlier this week, we released our latest Specific Skills module available to all Fleetcoach Programme users. It's all about fatigue, how you can recognise it and what you can do about it when it strikes while you're driving.
In light of this new release we thought we would share with you some of the things we learnt while researching this module. Here's five things you might not know about sleep and fatigue...
- Dehydration can make you feel really tired. You might not even realise you're thirsty - it could seem to you like hunger, or just general sluggishness. Have a glass or two of water, and see if your concentration improves.
- Too much technology time before bed can actually make it tougher to nod off. If you're wide awake and engaging with something super interesting or thought provoking on tv or your laptop, the extra activity might keep you up longer. And the blue light from cellphones and other gadgets can actually suppress melatonin production.
- Always read the labels on the medications you're taking. Some can keep you up, others can make you feel drowsy. If you aren't sure, check with your doctor! It might affect you, even if it's not stated on the packaging.
- It's hard to tell when the cause of an accident was that someone was tired or even dozed off. That means that the horrifying statistics we hear about tired drivers causing crashes (109 serious and 32 crashes in New Zealand in 2013 alone) - are actually likely to be far lower than the true numbers. Scary huh?
- Fatigue affects us in so many different ways, it's incredible. It affects our decision making, our physical capabilities, our perception of risk, and how much effort we put in to the things we do. That means that every task we undertake is going to be affected. So when we drive tired, we aren't likely to do such a great job of it!
Tiredness and sleep are pretty fascinating subjects, and we've put together everything you need to know about how it might affect your driving. You can find out more about our fatigue module here!
