News

Warning issued after Baby Boomer falls asleep behind the wheel and crashes

Dec 31, 2018

A Boomer is lucky to be alive after falling asleep behind the wheel and crashing his car. Source: Victoria Police

A 67-year-old man from South Australia is lucky to be alive after he fell asleep behind the wheel and crashed his car into a tree near Green Lake in Victoria.

The man was travelling along the state’s Western Highway on Sunday when the accident occurred at around 11am, Victoria Police said in a statement. The car veered off the road and hit the tree, causing the car to split and end up in the passenger side seat.

Remarkably, the man escaped with just minor injuries, but was still taken to hospital. The man had been driving for hundreds of kilometres without a break.

Police said there would have been a death if the man was driving with a passenger. Source: Victoria Police

“I was amazed that the driver walked away with only minor injuries from this crash,” Horsham Highway Patrol Acting Senior Sergeant Leigh Creasey said in a statement. “If there was a passenger in that car, they would be dead.

According to police, the man is expected to be charged with careless driving. It comes as researchers from Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) released a report on Monday revealing that 20 per cent of Australian drivers have admitted to falling asleep behind the wheel.

The driver managed to escape the accident with minor injuries. Source: Victoria Police

As is the case with the man involved in Sunday’s accident, fatigue-related crashes can happen at any time of day, not just late at night. Researchers found that staying awake for 19 continuous hours sets the level of fatigue equivalent to a Blood Alcohol Level of 0.05. After 24 hours without sleep, this level is equivalent to twice the legal limit. Unfortunately, caffeine can’t replace a good night’s sleep.

“While you’re awake throughout the day chemicals such as adenosine build up in the brain which make you feel sleepy – this isn’t something you can fight,” Head of the NeuRA Sleep and Breathing Lab Danny Eckert said in a statement. “Driving fatigued is just as dangerous as driving under the influence and fatigue combined with a legal amount of alcohol is even more likely to result in a crash.”

As such, it’s important to be aware of the signs of fatigue. For example, rolling down the windows, turning up the radio and struggling to keep your eyes open while driving are all signs of drowsiness. This can lead to falling asleep behind the wheel or having impaired judgement on the road.

According to the research, fatigue is actually one of the three big killers on Australian roads, with up to 30 per cent of all crashes the result of fatigue.

Eckert’s calls were echoed by Transport industry leader Transurban – which partnered with NeuRA to strive for fatality and injury-free roads through funding the Transurban Road Safety Centre.

“The holiday season is a time when many families are travelling longer distances after a busy year and on roads they are less familiar with,” Transurban Group Executive Project Delivery Tony Adams said in a statement. “We know many drivers may not be good at judging how tired they are when they get behind the wheel, which is a good reason to remind people to be well rested before travelling.”

Practicing good sleeping habits can assist with avoiding fatigue on the roads. This can include establishing a regular sleep routine and bed time, avoiding a smart phone and digital devices an hour before sleep time, turning the lights down and avoiding caffeinated drinks after 2pm.

“To avoid fatigue on long journeys the message is simple and is one we all know well,” Adams added. “When you are feeling tired, stop and take a break.”