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French -speaking SwitzerlandDrying fatigue: “a break makes the difference”
In summer, many vacationers take the road, underestimating the risk of falling asleep by driving. Experts sensitize.
For having finished in a motorway slide in Geneva, a driver recently received 40 days amended (30 francs/day), suspended, and a log of 500 fr. His fault? To have dried up at the wheel. For this same offense, two other criminal orders have just been returned to the end of the lake.
However, the figures for the Swiss Touring Club (TCS) in swerms “with bodily damage having as main causes excess fatigue” have been slightly decreased, for a decade. But their number remains significant: the Accident Prevention Office (BPA) estimates that fatigue is responsible for almost 10% of road accidents.
“Serious consequences”
“Road users tend to overestimate their capacities and minimize risks. We hear a lot: I’m tired, but that’s okay, “says Alexandre Brahier, spokesperson for the Geneva police. The communicator, who worked for several years within the road brigade, warns: “Unfortunately, they are accidents with fairly serious material and physical consequences.”
He remembers the case of a lady who went to Geneva airport. “She hadn’t had all her sleeping hours. Arriving in the parking lot, she softened and remained foot on the accelerator. She rushed in everything that was in her path and finished her race in the terminal window. If people had been on his way and had not seen him coming, it would have been catastrophic. ”
Stress of departure
Alexandre Brahier recalls that vacation departures are often a source of stress. “It’s really an event. There are all the preparations. For some, it is almost a move. The day of departure, we are already tired. You have to be careful, listening to your body and taking the time to stop, even if it’s been an hour since we hit the road. Five minutes of break can make the difference. “
A dodo rather than the music thoroughly
When yawns are multiplying, vision becomes blurred and stiffness gain their backs or necks: beware, danger! “The only effective remedy remains sleep,” warns Jordan Girod, spokesperson for the TCS. Sleeping well before leaving is essential; Along the way, a nap of 15 to 20 minutes can be saving. ” It is also advisable to eat light, to drink regularly, to take breaks every two hours – to move and stretch – and if possible, to exchange the steering wheel with another driver. The TCS finally alerts to false good ideas. Take a coffee, mount the volume of the music or lower the window “only temporarily hide fatigue”. It is also important to avoid smoking, “because this reduces oxygen intake and increases drowsiness”.
Rest technology
Intuitively, one might think that with the ever -increasing automation of cars, drivers have less to do behind the wheel, at the risk of a deficit in attention. In reality, underlines Jordan Girod, technology improves security: “New cars are equipped with a fatigue warning, which visually and acoustically alerts the driver when it is time to take a break.” The line crossing warning is also an appreciable tool.
