Fatigue

Fatigue is the feeling of being sleepy, tired or exhausted. It’s your body’s way of telling you that you need to stop and rest or sleep.

Fatigue-related crashes are twice as likely to be fatal. Driver fatigue can be as dangerous as drink driving. It affects your concentration and judgement and slows your reaction time.

Fatigue is not only a problem on long drives or at night. It can affect you on shorter, everyday trips like heading off to work in the morning, or driving home after a long day.

Groups at a higher risk of driving tired are shift workers, those who drive for work, tradies who tend to start work early, students who tend to be up late and new parents who are sleep-deprived.

Watch for the warning signs of fatigue

  • Excessive yawning.
  • Poor concentration.
  • Sore/tired eyes.
  • Restlessness.
  • Drowsiness.
  • Slow reactions.
  • Oversteering.

If you feel tired when driving, make sure you

  • Pull over for a break in a safe place (for example, a service station or rest area).
  • Pull over for a nap - 20minutes works best.
  • Swap drivers if you can.

Rest area maps

NSW Rest area maps are available at Transport NSW - Rest area maps.

Download fact sheet - Fatigue(PDF, 104KB)

Fatigue

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