Top 12 Interesting Facts

If you drive after staying awake for 24 hours you are as dangerous as someone who is above the blood alcohol legal limit in New Zealand !
On four hours sleep one bottle of beer has the same effect on a driver's control and reaction times as a six-pack of beer !
In Victoria, Australia they have introduced The Crimes (Dangerous Driving) Act 2004 and a driver who falls asleep at the wheel and causes a fatal crash faces up to five years in jail. In New Jersey (United States) a driver who falls asleep at the wheel and causes a fatal crash faces up to 10 years in jail and a $US 100,000 fine.
When you are feeling tired a bright white light (e.g the Sun) can without warning cause the retina of the eye to signal the brain that it's time to sleep.
At 100 km/hr, your car travels 27 metres in a single second. During a three second micro-sleep your car travels 83 metres, which is almost the length of a rugby field. Drivers are not always aware that they are micro-sleeping. Your eyes do not need to be shut for your mind to be asleep !
Drivers under the age of 30 are four times more likely to have a drowsy driving related crash than drivers over 30.
Most drowsy driving crashes occur 10 minutes from home and in built up areas rather than rural areas.
Having a sleeping front seat passenger can be fatal. Research has shown that a driver can pick up the sleep breathing patterns of a passenger and then fall asleep themselves.
Undiagnosed and untreated sleep medical conditions can result in the driver blacking out without warning.
The smell of new cars (gases given off by the various chemicals that glue together a car's new vinyl and plastic components) can have a dangerous sleep-inducing effect.
A United Kingdom study of a truck fleet showed that serious crashes soared half an hour after the consumption of fatty or sugary foods.
There is no research evidence to support that a rest from driving will help you if you are drowsy from sleep deprivation. One needs to sleep (e.g take a 15 minute Power Nap).