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Transport for NSW and the Point to Point Transport Commissioner are working together with industry to achieve safer point to point transport in NSW. Taxi and booking service providers and drivers need to play their role in keeping us all safe on the road. It is important that drivers do not feel a need to drive tired - for the safety of themselves, their passengers and others on the road.
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Under the Point to Point Transport (Taxis and Hire Vehicles) Regulation 2017 service providers are required to develop and maintain safety management systems that identify, record and manage risks associated with their services.
One important risk is driver fatigue, and service providers will need to implement a fatigue management policy and program that ensures drivers are fit to drive at all times they are undertaking passenger services. This may include implementing policies regarding scheduling, shift duration, night driving and rest breaks, for example.
Drivers must comply, so far as is reasonably practicable, with any reasonable instruction, safety policy or procedure of their service provider.
During safety audits on service providers auditors will determine whether:
- Driver fatigue is identified and considered and steps are taken to manage risks associated with fatigue
- The service provider has a fatigue management program which is based on a risk assessment
- The service provider monitors or records any secondary employment of the driver and any impact on the driver
- Any other factors considered relevant to the individual service provider
The issue of driving tired
- Fatigue is the second biggest killer on NSW roads.
- Being awake for 17 hours can have a similar effect on your driving performance as a blood alcohol content of 0.05
- Fatigue is not just extreme exhaustion, but includes everyday mental or physical tiredness that affect a person’s ability to function
- Fatigue reduces attentiveness and alertness to dangers, slows reaction times and can can lead to microsleeps
- Tiredness can occur on any drive - no matter how long or short, or the time of day
- Driving at night is when you are most at risk of tiredness, as well as after lunch and early in the morning
Avoid driving tired
It’s important to think about how tired you are before and while you are driving. There are a number of key strategies you can use to lower the risks of driving tired.
Before you drive:
- Get a good night’s sleep
- Where possible, avoid driving between midnight and 6:00am, when your body naturally wants to sleep
- Plan regular breaks
- Know the early warning signs of fatigue - yawning, sore eyes, difficulty concentrating, restlessness, oversteering
- Find out if any medicine you are taking may affect your driving
While driving:
- Take regular breaks
- If you start to feel tired, or experience any early warning signs, pull over somewhere safe and take a nap - 15-20 minutes works best
The science of sleep
Microsleeps. A microsleep is a brief and unintended episode of sleep characterised by head snapping, nodding or closing your eyes. It can be deadly behind the wheel. During a four-second microsleep, a vehicle travelling at 60km/h will travel 67 metres while completely out of the driver’s control.
Circadian rhythms. We are programmed by our body’s circadian rhythms to sleep at night and be awake during the day. Problems occur if we disrupt our natural sleep cycles, especially by staying awake during the night, not getting enough sleep, or suffering poor quality sleep.
Sleep debt. We all need about 8 hours of sleep a night to function effectively. When we reduce the amount we sleep at night, we start to accumulate a sleep debt - the hours of sleep needed but not had. Sleep debt can only be erased by having more sleep.
Sleep inertia. This is the feeling of grogginess you experience after waking, and is most dangerous for people who drive in the early morning hours.
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Sleep is the only way to overcome tiredness! |
DISCLAIMER
The material in this fact sheet is for general information only. It does not reflect all the technicalities of the relevant law and you should seek legal advice in relation to your particular circumstances. The Point to Point Transport Commissioner does not accept any liability for any action taken in reliance on this document. If you need advice, LawAccess NSW is a free government telephone service that provides legal information, referral and occasionally advice to people who have a legal problem in NSW.
