Driving When Tired

EDM number 2092 in 2010-12, proposed by John Leech on 14/07/2011.
Categorised under the topics of Crime and Roads.

That this House notes that driving after little sleep, or failing to take regular breaks duringlong drives, is lethal, with one in five fatal crashes on motorways and other monotonous roads caused by tired drivers; expresses concern that crashes caused by tired drivers tend to be at high speed, increasing the risk of serious injury or death and that recent research looking into the factors in tiredness crashes has shown that one in four drivers continue their journey despite feeling drowsy; further notes that drivers can avoid this drowsiness by managing their sleep needs and seeking medical helpif they often feel tired; further notes that a frequent cause of constant tiredness, particularly amongst commercial drivers, is obstructive sleep apnoea, a common sleep disorder that can make falling asleep at the wheel much more likely; welcomes recently-published independent research showing that weight loss using nutritional interventions and maintained over a year can considerably improve the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea; congratulates Brake, the road safety charity, on usingits Parliamentary Reception to draw attention to the dangers of tired drivers; and calls on policymakers to renew efforts to raise awareness of driver tiredness as a major cause of death and serious injury on the road and to take steps to prevent these casualties.

This motion has been signed by a total of 20 MPs.