Tiredness 'risks car insurance claims'

Posted :29-10-2007

Chronic tiredness can result in a driver becoming less able to think straight and react quickly, a new study has indicated.

Research by the Mind Lab for car insurance provider LV= suggests that when deprived of sleep for one night, a range of participants displayed poorer levels of concentration and slower reaction times.

Neuropsychologist Dr David Lewis comments that a substantial proportion of road-users are suffering from a lack of sleep.

He added that especially dangerous times are at the start and end of the working day since so many people now work long hours.

"Risks are further intensified by the fact that it is at these times that traffic volumes are greatest and the demands on drivers are most extreme. As the clocks go back, the earlier onset of darkness can add to hazards on the highway," he adds.

Earlier this month, car insurance provider Direct Line stated that despite the success of a pilot scheme on the M42, the hard shoulder must not become a "default additional lane" on UK motorways.


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