Driver fatigue: how to recognise and avoid it

Fatigue is treacherous because it does not hit you all at once. You start a journey feeling fine and, without noticing, your reactions slow down, it gets harder to stay focused and you make worse decisions. At worst comes the microsleep: a few seconds when the brain 'switches off' with the eyes almost open. At dual-carriageway speed, the car covers a long distance out of control in those seconds.

Warning signs

If you notice any of these signs, your body is telling you to stop:

• Frequent yawning and heavy blinking.
• Itchy eyes or wanting to rub them.
• Struggling to keep your head up.
• Not remembering the last few kilometres.
• Missing an exit or a road sign.
• Drifting out of your lane or touching the line without meaning to.
• Changing speed for no reason or getting too close to the car in front.

Higher-risk situations

• Driving after too little or poor sleep.
• Early afternoon, after lunch, and the small hours of the night.
• Long, monotonous drives, such as a straight dual carriageway with little traffic.
• Coming back from a day at the beach or in the mountains: sun, heat and exercise are more tiring than they seem.
• After a long flight or a time-zone change, common for anyone landing at Tenerife South airport and picking up a hire car.
• Taking medicines that cause drowsiness. Check the leaflet: in Spain many carry a warning pictogram about driving.

What does not work

Opening the window, turning up the music or blasting cold air will perk you up for a few minutes, but they do not cure sleepiness. Coffee or caffeinated drinks can help for a while, although they take time to kick in and are no substitute for rest. Chatting to a passenger helps, but it is not the answer if your body needs sleep.

What does work

1. Get a good rest before setting off, especially for a long trip.
2. Stop regularly. The usual advice from the DGT, Spain's traffic authority, is to take a break every two hours or around 200 km, even if you do not feel tired.
3. If you notice the signs, stop now, somewhere safe. A short nap of around 15 to 20 minutes can make all the difference.
4. Eat light and drink water. Heavy meals make you drowsy.
5. Share the driving on long journeys if you can.

A car in good condition helps too

Driving tired is hard enough; doing it when you cannot see well is harder. Yellowed, cloudy headlights give less light and scatter the beam, so at night you strain your eyes. A windscreen with chips or scratched by calima dust dazzles you when the sun is low, and dirty or badly adjusted mirrors make you turn your head more than you should. It all adds to fatigue. Many recent cars also include lane departure warnings or fatigue detection: they are a useful aid, but they do not replace your attention or a timely stop.

Arriving ten minutes late is not a problem. Not arriving at all is.

If your headlights have gone cloudy in the sun, at Green Car Service Tenerife we polish and protect them with our headlight restoration service, and if the front end has taken a knock, we repair it in our bodywork and paint workshop. Book an appointment whenever you need to.