Advertisement
News

Almost a quarter of all Irish drivers admit to struggling to stay awake at the wheel

Oct 5, 2020 13:12 By Shannonside News
Almost a quarter of all Irish drivers admit to struggling to stay awake at the wheel
Share this article

Almost a quarter of Irish people say they have struggled to stay awake while driving. It comes as the number of road deaths has increased

Almost a quarter of Irish people say they have struggled to stay awake while driving.

It comes as the number of road deaths has increased this year, compared to 2019, despite the covid restrictions.

Fatigue is a contributing factor in one in five incidents where a driver dies on Irish roads.

Advertisement

The latest statistics show 16 per cent of drivers admit they've fallen asleep or nodded off behind the wheel.

Road Safety Authority Chairperson Liz O'Donnell says this can be as dangerous as drink driving.

Accidents like this tend to happen after midnight or in the mid-afternoon. Often it's just one vehicle leaving the road, most likely to be one allowing high speeds.

Advertisement

Studies have shown young men, people working night shifts, and taxi and truck drivers are most at risk from driver fatigue.

Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton TD says we need to treat driver fatigue seriously.

Gardai have recorded 112 road deaths so far this year.

Advertisement

It's 6 more than the same period in 2019.

Tags used in this article
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement

Shannonside Newsletter

Sign up now to keep up to date with the latest news.

Processing your request...

You are subscribed now! please check your email to confirm your subscription.

Copyright © 2024 Shannonside FM. Developed by Square1 and Powered by PublisherPlus