Less than five? Don’t drive! New research highlights sleep hours needed for safe driving
Australian drivers are being urged not to drive if they have had less than five hours sleep in the prior 24 hours, or risk doubling their likelihood of road accidents.
CQUniversity researchers warn that driving with less shut-eye is about equivalent to driving with a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.05-0.08 per cent.
In recent decades, safety limits for speed and blood alcohol concentration, along with strong public education programs, have reduced road accidents significantly.
But, vehicle crashes caused by fatigue have remained stubbornly high over the same period.
Sleep scientists from CQU’s Appleton Institute are concerned that drivers are not currently given enough guidance about how much sleep they need to drive safely.
Fatigue contributes to about 20 per cent of all vehicle crashes in Australia. In 2024, 78 people died in fatigue-related crashes on NSW roads alone, compared to 53 in 2023.
New research, published in the Safety Science journal, shows that drivers need specific guidance on how much sleep they need to drive safely.
Lead author Dr Madeline Sprajcer emphasised the need for clear guidance on fatigue, similar to existing campaigns for drink-driving and speeding.
“Most public education programs exhort people not to drive when fatigued, but fail to provide the information necessary to make a good decision,” Dr Sprajcer said.
“Imagine if we just said 'don't drink and drive' without clear guidance on how drunk is too drunk to drive safely!”
Interviewing community and industry representatives, the research team from CQUniversity’s Appleton Institute found that nearly all groups supported educational initiatives to combat fatigued driving that give specific guidance on the amount of sleep a driver needs before getting behind the wheel.
More than 75 per cent supported potential legislation to mandate a minimum amount of sleep before driving, providing clear guidelines and legal consequences similar to existing drink-driving laws.
“In New Jersey, USA, drivers are considered impaired if they haven't slept in the past 24 hours, which affects them similarly to having a BAC of 0.10, twice the legal limit in Australia,” Dr Sprajcer explained.
The research suggests that public education efforts, such as National Driver Fatigue Week and Victoria's “Driving tired? Wake up to yourself” initiative, should be updated to include specific guidance on how much sleep is needed to reduce fatigue risk on our roads.
The Appleton Institute is CQUniversity’s flagship research hub for health and wellbeing at work, rest, and play.
