Many fatal crashes are caused by people driving or riding when they're tired. Riding a motorcycle is more tiring than driving a car. If you feel tired, don’t ride. Don’t risk your life or those of other road users.
Recognise the warning signs
Some warning signs are:
- having trouble focusing, keeping your eyes open or holding your head up
- daydreaming, wandering or disconnected thoughts, memory loss
- yawning or rubbing your eyes repeatedly
- drifting from your lane, tailgating and missing signs or exits
- feeling restless and irritable.
Tips to help you avoid fatigue
- Get a good night’s sleep before riding, preferably 8 hours.
- Avoid riding during the hours when you are normally sleeping.
- If you normally have a mid-afternoon nap, avoid riding at this time.
- Make sure that after sleep, you're fully awake before riding.
- Don’t drink even small amounts of alcohol. It makes fatigue much worse.
- When taking long trips, include rest breaks in your journey plan.
- Snack on light, fresh foods. Fatty, sugary or carbohydrate-filled foods, can make you tired.
Stop to revive, then drive
During long trips, take rest breaks about every 2 hours or every 100 kilometres.
If you start feeling sleepy or notice any warning signs:
- don’t keep riding – pull over in a safe place, as far off the road as possible
- take a 15-20 minute power nap. Try not to nap for longer than 40 minutes or you may feel groggy and disoriented afterwards – this is called sleep inertia
- wait at least 10 minutes before you start riding again, to make sure that you're completely awake.
Once fatigue has set in, no amount of willpower will keep you awake. The only answer is sleep and you should stop for a short nap or seek help to get home. If you still feel sleepy, don’t ride. Find a place to sleep for longer or for the night.
