Fatigue in road crashes

Fatigue is considered to have been involved as a contributing factor to a road traffic accident if that accident involved at least one fatigued motor vehicle controller.

A motor vehicle controller is assessed as having been fatigued if the conditions described under (a) or (b) are satisfied together or separately.

(a) The vehicle’s controller was described by police as being asleep, drowsy or fatigued.

(b) The vehicle performed a manoeuvre, which suggested loss of concentration of the controller due to fatigue, that is:

• the vehicle traveled onto the incorrect side of a straight road and was involved in a head-on collision (and was not overtaking another vehicle and no other relevant factor was identified); or
• the vehicle ran off a straight road or off the road to the outside of a curve and the vehicle was not directly identified as travelling at excessive speed and there was no other relevant factor identified for the manoeuvre.