Behaviours

Dead Tired at the Wheel

Fatigue is one of the leading causes of death on Québec roads. Every year, it is a factor in more than 1 out of every 5 accidents that result in injury or death.

Driver fatigue: numbers to think about

Each year on average, 92 people are killed and 6,713 people are injured in an accident related to driver fatigue.

From 2020 to 2024, fatigue was a factor:

in 24% of fatal accidents
in 25% of accidents that resulted in injury or death

Microsleep or “nodding off”

Microsleep is a brief (fractions of a second to a few seconds) and involuntary episode of falling asleep. Your head may drop and your eyes close, or your gaze may simply become fixed.

These episodes may occur when you are tired and trying to stay awake to perform a monotonous task, such as driving on a highway. During a microsleep episode, you will not react to a dangerous situation.

Drivers most at risk

Heavy vehicle drivers
Drivers under age 30 and drivers aged 55 or older
Workers who have irregular schedules or long work days
Night shift workers
Individuals who suffer from an undiagnosed or untreated sleep disorder
Individuals with a health problem that results in fatigue
Individuals whose lifestyle decreases the amount and quality of sleep they get

The effects of fatigue at the wheel

Slower reaction time
Decreased concentration
Altered judgment
Memory lapses
Reduced field of vision
Increased risk of drowsiness or falling asleep

Concretely, driving while tired means…

having difficulty making the right decisions on the road
needing more time to react to a situation, such as the appearance of an obstacle that would require sudden braking
having difficulty distinguishing things located on either side of the road

Fatigue, alcohol, drugs and medication: a deadly mix!

Consuming alcohol, medication or drugs, or a mix of these, considerably increases the risk of being involved in a fatal accident. It also multiplies the effects of fatigue, which therefore makes driving even more dangerous.