Filtered by: Topstories
News

Driving tired as dangerous as driving drunk, Australia study says


A study in Australia found that driving tired, or getting behind the wheel without enough sleep, is as dangerous as driving drunk.

According to Joseph Morong’s report on “24 Oras” Tuesday, the study from Central Queensland University showed one in five traffic accidents in Australia is due to fatigued driving.

Driving with less than four hours of sleep also increases the chances of accidents by up to 15%, the study added.

In Metro Manila, data from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) showed there are few reported traffic incidents caused by fatigued driving, which is categorized as human error.

MMDA explained this might be due to underreporting.

“Pero kung mailalagay natin lahat yan, sigurado ako marami. Most of the accidents kasi is human error. Hindi naman tulog lang maaring tipsy, pagod during wee hours of the night, usually yan,” Noemi Recio of MMDA said.

(If we would be able to document the incidents, I’m sure there are a lot of cases. Most accidents are human errors. They can also be tipsy or tired.)

Meanwhile, a sleep specialist said drivers who did not get quality rest or those who were awake for 18 hours can be considered sleep deprived.

“People would have a slower reaction time, like a few seconds slower. It also decreases your alertness level. Ito na yung parang napa pikit pikit ka na,” said Dr. April Hernandez.

Hernandez also said drivers’ health conditions should be monitored to ensure their safety while on the road.

“Bus drivers should be screened if they have sleep disorders that contribute to the sleepiness...Inaantok sila nag-drive kahit na 8 hours silang nakatulog. 'Yun pala mayroon silang sleep disorders (They are still sleepy despite 8 hours of sleep. Little did they know they already have sleep disorders.),” she added.

There are no laws in the country against fatigued driving. In the 18th Congress, several bills were filed seeking to limit continuous driving to 12 hours.

In the 19th Congress, there were proposals to limit the hours of bus drivers to eight hours and require that they have replacements.—Sundy Locus/LDF, GMA Integrated News

LOADING CONTENT