How To Avoid Fatigue While Driving.
How To Avoid Fatigue While Driving.
HGV drivers spend most of their time on the roads driving heavy trucks. Statutory requirements and legal limits have been set to help regulate and control the number of hours one can drive and how long break periods should last. The mind and body can be gripped by fatigue at any moment.
Working during the unsocial hours of the night and early mornings is tiring and draining. This is the case, especially when driving along a busy highway with a fully loaded truck and fully concentrating on the motorway to avoid any slight mistake.
All drivers with a HGV licence face the risk of tiredness while sitting behind the steering wheel. Most of the accidents are caused by drivers who fell asleep while seated behind a steering wheel, causing damages, injuries and even deaths to pedestrians and themselves.
Drivers should employ prudent measures to prevent the body and mind from getting exhausted and succumb to fatigue, causing sleep.
The following tips and tricks will help you remain awake and reach your destination safely. The manoeuvres will help you stay alert and not sleep while driving your truck or any other motor vehicle.
1-Keep Fit.
A healthy body breeds a robust, fit and healthy mind. Being healthy and fit goes hand in hand with maintaining your alertness levels, keeping your mind sharp, and the ability to focus on a task until its completion. Participate in physical exercise activities while away from your job regularly. Make it a habit to exercise frequently, and by doing so, you will increase your concentration levels and improve your reaction levels to situations that happen relatively quickly or unplanned.
All you need is essential fitness and instead not transform yourself into an Olympics athlete but if you can, why not go for it.
Engaging in little or average physical activity levels during the week can make a huge difference in your general well being than is imagined. A world of difference can be made by simply going for a good evening walk a couple of times a week. Improving your physical fitness levels is a remarkable way to be more alert, compensate for the long hours spent sitting down while driving, and combat body fatigue.
2-Remember to get enough rest.
To take care of our daily dealings effectively and efficiently, we need to have had enough rest and peace of mind. A night of good sleep comes in handy as it helps you relax, calm your nerves and simply rest. Having a good sleep enables you to be more alert during your awake hours.
Perfect sleep is essential to all HGV drivers.
Driving after having poor sleep results in a slow reaction to situations, dizziness, poor judgement and increased chances of dozing off.
Ensure you get a minimum of 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep before getting behind the wheel. A night of good sleep will help recharge your brain cells and increase your alertness and concentration while driving on the road.
3-Eat Healthily
Truck drivers are well known for their unhealthy eating habits. This is due to their work style. Most of the time is spent away from home and in different cities. Most of their meals are a sum of several roadside diners and special service station meals. A diet full of bacon rolls, chips, and other junk foods is not healthy and significantly drains one’s energy and concentration levels—drivers who consume junk end up feeling bloated and tired, which in return affects their driving. Make it a habit to eat healthy food for a better lifestyle.