ALERT: Gardai urge drivers to 'wake up' to major safety risk on Irish roads

Gardaí have highlighted a commonly overlooked danger on Irish roads, warning motorists of the risks involved.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Crimecall, presenter Carla O’Brien described driver fatigue as a "really common issue" that "can be deadly".

Sergeant Tony Miniter said that driver fatigue is "something that many of us have experienced on our roads" and described it as a "real danger".

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He added: "Data shows that between 10 and 20 per cent of serious injury and fatal road traffic collisions can be put down to driver fatigue."

"It is something that we need to be more aware of — how prevalent it is and how dangerous it is on our roads."

Sgt Miniter outlined how driving while fatigued is "very comparable to driving under the influence of drink" as "you have a slower reaction time to hazards such as roundabouts."

He also highlighted the dangers of 'microsleeps' when driving fatigued.

Microsleeps are brief, uncontrollable episodes of sleeping which can last from a fraction of a second up to 30 seconds, often occurring due to severe fatigue and/or sleep deprivation.

Explaining how dangerous these moments can be, Sgt Miniter said: “If you are travelling at 100 kilometres per hour, you travel 56 metres in two seconds. If you expand that out to three seconds, you travel the equivalent of the width of a GAA pitch.”

He added that fatigue can also affect a driver’s awareness, even when they do not realise it at the time.

Sgt Miniter said that lapses in memory about where a driver has been, such as not being aware of villages they have already passed through, are "a sure sign that you are driving while fatigued".

Highlighting that people need to begin to ask themselves: "When does tiredness become dangerous?" 

As "far too many people realise that they are driving fatigued after a collision" which "can be very serious for everybody" on the roads.

Sgt Miniter also noted that gardaí pay particular attention to shift workers, who often finish long shifts in the early hours and are especially vulnerable to driver fatigue.

Carla asked Sgt Miniter, "we know what to do in terms of having a rest, have a coffee, but what other things do we need to do [to prevent driver fatigue]?"

In response he said that the "simple and most obvious" solution is to "try and get a good night's sleep".

He added that motorist should try and avoid long trips by night as "there is this thing called your Circadian Rhythm", which is the bodies internal clock that is primarily responsible for regulating a person's sleep-wake cycle, which naturally promotes sleep between 3am and 5am.

Sgt Miniter also recommended avoiding heavy meals before driving and said drivers should "ultimately stop, have a cup of coffee and get some sleep" if fatigued.

He urged motorists to "wake up to the dangers of driver fatigue" on Irish roads.