Could drivers be deemed impaired based on prior sleep duration? Community and stakeholder perspectives

Abstract

Vehicle crashes caused by drink driving and speeding have decreased markedly in recent years due to enforcement strategies and specific guidance on ‘how drunk is too drunk’ and ‘how fast is too fast’. However, fatigue-related vehicle crashes have not declined, likely reflecting both a lack of clear guidance on ‘how tired is too tired’ to drive, and the lack of a relevant legislative framework. A two-phase qualitative study was undertaken with community members (focus groups; n = 33) and road transport industry stakeholders (interviews; n = 28). Participants were asked to (i) identify how much sleep they believe is required to drive safely, (ii) describe how they would respond to the introduction of regulations regarding ‘deemed impairment’ with respect to driver fatigue, and (iii) provide insight into how such legislation could be implemented. Most participants believed that it may be appropriate to require at least 5 h of sleep prior to driving and were supportive of fatigue-related deemed impairment legislation, but were concerned about how such legislation would operate in practice. Critically, all participants strongly supported the development of a public education campaign providing clear guidance on how to determine whether one is ‘safe to drive’ based on prior sleep (i.e., ‘how tired is too tired’). Based on these findings, there may be reasonable support for policy makers and ultimately politicians to progress legislation that deems drivers to be impaired based on prior sleep duration. Perhaps more critically, participants identified a clear need for a strong public education campaign.