A study on sleep deprivation shows that driving tired is as bad as driving drunk.
According to the School of Psychology in University of New South Wales, Australia, being awake for 17-19 hours has a similar effect on driving performance as a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.05 grams per deciliter.
This much alcohol in the blood makes a driver three times more likely to die in a road crash, says the World Health Organization.
In the Philippines, public utility drivers who go on 24-hour duties are the norm, especially in urban areas. Their fatigue can cause impaired vision, judgment and reaction time, decreased performance, vigilance and motivation and increased moodiness and aggressive behavior.
Road Safety Journalism Fellow Jerald Uy rides a taxi at night and films his experience, to find out more about how driver fatigue affects our country’s roads.
This story was produced under the Bloomberg Initiative Global Road Safety Media Fellowship implemented by the World Health Organization, Department of Transportation and VERA Files.
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