Drowsy drivers big road killers

By SCOTT MacLEOD transport reporter

Thick fog had settled during the warm autumn night and ambulance staff could barely see the crumpled van on the side of State Highway 1.

It was March 21 last year, just south of Whangarei, and three people were already dead inside the van. A fourth, Mirinoa Thelma Tua, was gasping her last breaths.

Mrs Tua, Richard Heremaia, Waitai Tua-Heremaia and Jarod Nicholls were victims of one of the biggest killers on New Zealand roads - drowsy drivers.

Crash investigators believe Jarod Nicholls, aged 15, may have fallen asleep at the wheel.

The problem is so bad in some areas that safety officials have launched special campaigns to tackle it.

On long-distance Waikato highways, motorists are sometimes waved to the side of the road, given a coffee and told to take a break every two hours while driving.

This year, there have already been reports of up to four people at a time dying after drivers fell asleep.

Researchers at the Land Transport Safety Authority believe fatigue played a part in 52 fatal crashes last year - or about 14 per cent of the total - and a further 435 crashes in which people were injured.

LTSA spokesman Andy Knackstedt said fatigue referred to motorists who drove for too long or felt sleepy.

The figures were mostly collated from police crash reports that include comments from drivers.

Mr Knackstedt said falling asleep was an extreme state of fatigue, and drivers could be impaired well before the point of nodding off.

Symptoms of this impairment included forgetfulness, apathy, making bad decisions, slow reaction times, moodiness and lethargy.

At Auckland University, an injury prevention research centre has studied 615 crashed cars in what may be the biggest study of its type in the world.

One of the researchers, Jennie Connor, said the study found that people who drove after spending fewer than five of the previous 24 hours asleep were three times as likely to be injured in a crash as drivers who were fully awake.

In Wellington, a Traffic Accident Research Foundation study of 40 drivers injured in crashes found that 17, or 42 per cent, had sleep disorders.

So how can this killer be beaten?

The LTSA advises that motorists should get plenty of sleep before long trips and take a break every two hours.

Caffeine should be drunk "strategically" - only when feeling tired, rather than when already alert.

Motorists should also get to know their personal body-clocks and when they feel most sleepy.



Last month's death toll of 30 was the lowest July toll since 1965.

The previous best July since then was in 1979, when 33 people died. The average July toll in the past five years was 37 deaths.

The month took this year's tally to 274 deaths, three more than at the same time last year.

LTSA director David Wright said last month's bad weather made driving treacherous so motorists deserved credit for taking extra care.

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