Over the past month our In-vehicle cameras have recorded a sharp increase in driver fatigue. Some drivers have fallen asleep at the wheel and the number of near misses is a real concern.

It’s too early to say whether this is a trend but it’s a situation we all need to try and address before there is a major incident.

The first question we need to ask is why is this happening? At this time of the year there is more sickness and the latest strain of flu has been going around the country. Those drivers who have caught it are bound to be more tired.

Another possibility is the football World Cup. The All Whites’ performance caught the country’s imagination and all of us who watched the games didn’t feel quite as sharp at work the next day. Drivers would be no exception.

A further explanation worth considering is that we’re in the middle of winter and the shortest day has just passed. This may be contributing to driver inattention.

The reason for driver fatigue could be a combination of these factors, but what we’re seeing is worrying. The key thing at this stage is to monitor drivers more closely and encourage them to take more rest stops.

Our Torque services and In-vehicle cameras are valuable tools for your clients to reduce the frequency of crashes and incidents. You can find out more by visiting: www.lumley.co.nz/makingmotoreasy

The New Zealand Transport Association and AA websites have some good information about driver fatigue. And we’ve also heard that eating chillies, drinking ginger tea or taking gingko biloba can prevent fatigue brought on by long winter days!

We suggest you forward this email to your clients and in the meantime we’ll keep you updated on any other issues that our In-vehicle camera reporting uncovers.