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Sleepy drivers are as bad as drunk ones, study shows

Feeling sleepy? You may as well be drunk.
Driver falling asleep at the wheel

Most of us wouldn't consider getting behind the wheel after having a few drinks. But how often have you been sleep-deprived - even just a little - and driven off home anyway.

For many of us in New Zealand, it was our first day back at work today after the break, and you'd be forgiven for being a bit drowsier than usual - the body not quite used to the 6am alarm perhaps! So it's great timing to talk about one of the biggest killers on our roads - fatigue.

We've talked about tired driving before - we've even released a module specifically about fatigue behind the wheel and what to do about it. But here's a new study that compares tiredness to intoxication, and it's not pretty.

Even being short of sleep by just one or two hours can put you at twice the risk of a fully rested person. Miss two to three hours from your night's kip, and you quadruple your risk.

Early to bed this evening perhaps? You made it through your first day back - you deserve it!

You can read the full article here.

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