Home drive danger

Home drive danger for British holidaymakers.

9th August 2005

'Driver Lag’ affects over a million British drivers

UK holidaymakers heading back from warmer climes this summer risk more than a bad case of jet lag – they could be a danger on the roads.

Over a million drivers return from holidays overseas to suffer from ‘Driver Lag’ – a condition similar to jet lag but which affects driver safety. Identified as a result of new research by Privilege Car Insurance, the condition could be contributing to over 60,000 driving incidents in the airport car park, or the immediate drive home from the airport alone as a result.

Driver Lag sufferers experience fatigue (26 per cent), disturbed sleep patterns (17 per cent) and a lack of energy (16 per cent), the Privilege study finds.

And it’s not just in the airport car park or on the journey home where drivers are causing incidents. Motorists report problems with their driving ability in the week after returning from vacation. Sufferers report lost concentration behind the wheel (four per cent), unintentional speeding (four per cent) and stalling their vehicle (three per cent).

With the effects of Driver Lag lasting long after the drive home from the airport, five per cent said they were more irritable with other road users as a result, ....cont/

three per cent say their reaction times were slower, and four per cent avoided driving altogether in the week after their holiday.

Tiredness was identified by the Privilege research as a key contributor of Driver Lag with almost 39 per cent of those experiencing the condition claiming not to have slept well on the return flight. A small but significant three per cent of the sample admitted to drinking above the legal limit on their flight before driving.

Aviation Health expert, Farrol Kahn, who took part in the research, described the importance of the findings:

“The study shows that air travel can exacerbate the tiredness of motorists and endanger road safety. It establishes a direct link between flying and road safety."

“The research has identified a new condition, Driver Lag, that can last up to a week post-flight. Driver Lag has all the similar symptoms to jetlag and can affect all motorists irrespective of age, from 18 years old to those over 50, although younger motorists appear to be more at risk."

“A surprising factor is that while the symptoms may be more intense for long-haul passengers, Driver Lag still affects short-haul passengers as well.”

Ian Parker, Managing Director of Privilege Car Insurance, said:

“We know that many people experience ....cont/

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negative physical symptoms and a change in their driving behaviour following a flight. Bearing in mind the number of people that drive to airports to catch holiday flights, we wanted to identify the impact of this on motorists.

“Our research shows that people may be putting themselves and their passengers at risk by getting straight into their cars after landing. We are advising drivers to heed this warning, take plenty of rest before driving home or consider alternative transport such as a lift from friends or family or public transport.”

Notes:

Farrol Kahn, Director of the not-for-profit organisation Aviation Health, is an international authority on the effects of aviation on passenger health and is an expert to the European Union, US Congress and the World Health Organisation. He is the author of four books on aviation health, including ‘Arrive in Better Shape’ (Harper). He has made appearances on CNN, BBC TV, Sky News and writes for national newspapers including the Financial Times and the Daily Telegraph. His areas of expertise include Aviation Health, Travel Health, DVT, SARS, Jet lag and Air Rage.

YouGov surveyed 2,010 people online on behalf of Privilege Insurance between 8th and 12th July 2005. According to the Census 2001, the adult population (18+) of Great Britain is 44,200,057

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Of these, 71 per cent of respondents currently drive (31,382,040). Of these, 46 per cent claim to have suffered from at least one jet lag symptom in the week following their holiday (Source: NHS Direct). These are: Disturbed sleep patterns; sleepy during the day, but not able to sleep at night, disrupted digestion and bowel habits, feeling disorientated and/ or clumsy, loss of appetite, fatigue, lack of concentration/ feeling less alert, memory problems, loss of balance, nausea, visual problems, impaired spatial awareness, cold or flu-like symptoms, feeling weak and light-headed, lack of energy, disorientation, impatience, lethargy, depression and anxiety and less ability to handle stress. 46 per cent equates to 14,435,739 drivers.

14 per cent of those drivers who have been on holiday for more than four nights, who travelled abroad and flew home experienced an effect on their driving, this equates to 7.48 per cent of all drivers – giving a total of 1,080,550 drivers suffering from Driver Lag.

Of those experiencing Driver Lag symptoms (1,080,550), 6 per cent have experienced an incident either in the car park of the airport or on the immediate drive home, equating to 64,833 incidents, such as stalling a vehicle, unintentionally going over the speed limit or drifting out of lane, etc.