Driving any vehicle whilst tired is dangerous and thoughtless, navigate the roads in a motorhome after a lack of sleep though and you are really pushing the boundaries of recklessness. Driver fatigue accidents are more common than you think, especially on motorways when drivers travel mile after mile on the same monotonous journey. We tell you how to avoid this with simple and practical advice.
Steer clear of driving through the night
It’s tempting to make a journey in a motorhome overnight, this way you should avoid traffic jams and arrive at your destination nice and early with the full day ahead of you. You might never complete that journey though if you drive through the night and you feel tired. Your body is used to being asleep at this time and you could find it difficult to stay awake during the hours of darkness. Try to avoid night time driving. The roads might be lighter but you could start snoozing at the wheel.
Get plenty of sleep before a long journey
Try to sleep as much as possible before you tackle a long journey in a motorhome. Hit the road after a four hour kip and you are going to feel a little jaded before too long. Plan to hit the hay at a reasonable time the night before you make that journey and you’ll wake up full of energy and feeling totally refreshed. With plenty of sleep you’ll be completely in control of your actions, your senses will be sharp and your reaction times will be swifter, helping you to be totally focused on the road ahead.
Take a break if needs be
This is the best piece of advice we can give you at DMR Motorhome Body Repair Specialists. If you find you are out on the road, driving your motorhome down a motorway and your eyes start to get heavy, take a break as soon as you can. Pull in at the next motorway services and have a twenty minute break or so. Grab a little shuteye, get some fresh air, have a strong cup of coffee and stretch your legs. As soon as you spot classic signs of tiredness such as yawing, blinking more frequently or lane drifting (it does happen!) stop and have a break in a safe location.
Take it in turns to drive
Share the driving and this reduces the risk of driver fatigue. Take it in turns to switch places with your passenger. As long as you are both insured to drive the vehicle you could swap over at regular intervals and eliminate the chances of driver fatigue this way. Both get used to driving the motorhome. This way it’ll feel like second nature when you get behind the wheel and it gives both of you the opportunity to have routine breaks when you start to feel tired.
