You are in grave danger of falling asleep !

Danger warning signs absent

If you have a pre-existing sleep condition (eg; narcolepsy or sleep apneoa) you can just "black-out" whilst driving without any prior warning.

If you suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness or suspect that you have a sleep disorder, consult a sleep medical specialist at a sleep clinic without delay.

If you are drowsy and encounter external factors (eg; bright white light) you may just fall asleep Light helps signal to the brain when it should wakeup and when it should prepare to sleep.

Danger warning signs - 'Red alert'

You are about to fall asleep if you experience any of the warning signs listed below. If you notice any of these signs, stop driving immediately before you experience any more. The first wave of drowsiness behind the wheel has to be a red alert. To ignore it is to court death - if not your death, then someone else's.

Danger warning signs- eyes

  • . Your eyes strain
  • . You blink frequently
  • . You have sore or heavy eyelids.
  • . You have difficulty keeping your eyes open as they want to close
  • . You have difficulty focusing, or you have involuntary loss of focus
  • . You are rubbing your eyes repeatedly
  • . You have dim or fuzzy vision.
  • . You see objects that look like animals or people (eg; paper bags)

Danger warning signs - ears
. Droning or humming in the ears.

Danger warning signs - mouth
.You can't stop yawning

Danger warning signs - body

  • . You feel generally tired
  • . Your body feels stiff, or you have other aches and pains or cramps
  • . You keep stretching your arms
  • . You fumble your gear changes
  • . You have delayed reactions

Danger warning signs -head

  • . You have trouble keeping your head up
  • . Your head nods

Danger warning signs - driving

  • . You wander over the road or centreline, rumble-strip, lanes, off the edge of the road, keep jerking your vehicle back into your lane, tailgate or narrowly missed crashing
  • . You unintentionally increase or decrease your speed

Danger warning signs - thoughts

  • . You feel restless and irritable
  • . You have wandering or disconnected thoughts
  • . You are day dreaming
  • . You are unable to remember the last few miles driven
  • . You misread traffic signs and exits
  • . Your reactions are slow