During Easter, other long weekends and the festive season, South Africans often travel from inland provinces to coastal regions and vice versa. They generally travel distances spanning anything from 300 km to 1 500 km. Most international road safety authorities advise that drivers should take a break from driving every 2 hours or after having driven 200 km. Based on that it would be fair to refer to long-distance driving as distances in a range covering 300 km or a drive longer than 3 hours or more.

With that said, no law or act strictly regulates the number of kilometres or hours you can spend behind the wheel while travelling. However, traffic officers are empowered to police against driver fatigue on our roads.

 

What the law says

Under the heading Powers and duties of traffic officer – Section 3”l” (f)  of the National Road Traffic Act states that:

“If a person, being the driver or the person apparently in charge of a motor vehicle, appears, by reason of his or her physical or mental condition, howsoever arising, to be incapable for the time being of driving or being in charge of that vehicle, temporarily forbid the person to continue to drive or be in charge of that vehicle and make the arrangements for the safe disposal or placing of the vehicle as in his or her opinion may be necessary or desirable in the circumstances”

 

Symptoms of driving fatigue

  • Red eyes
  • Slower reaction times
  • Inattentiveness
  • Repeated yawning and head bobbing
  • Feeling restless, irritable, or impatient
  • Disconnected or wandering thoughts
  • Drifting to the shoulder or the adjacent lanes
  • Shallow breathing, burning eyes, and back tension
  • Abnormal driving behaviour, such as inappropriate speeding, tailgating, or ignoring traffic signs

 

What to do when you are experiencing driving fatigue

Rolling down the windows, switching on the air conditioner, chewing gum, and getting out to stretch your legs all have a limited effect when trying to stave off driver fatigue. The best thing to do is to find a safe place to stop, drink a strong cup of coffee (or two), and take a 15-20 minute nap before you continue on your journey.