How to Battle Driver Tiredness on School Trips with your Minibus
17 June 2019
It’s coming to the end of school term, and let’s face it – everyone is tired and overdue a long break. It can often be difficult to motivate yourself to finish strong at the final hurdle, but we’ve compiled a list of helpful tips to get you over the line. Many educational institutions plan to take their students on an end-of-year trip to reward them for their great work. It can often be difficult to keep going when tiredness strikes, so here’s a few facts you need to know before setting off.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) suggests that thousands of crashes are caused by tired drivers, with the most likely causes being long journeys on monotonous roads (motorways), having less sleep than normal (non-stop marking we presume) or taking medicines which cause drowsiness.
Sleepiness reduced reaction time, alertness, concentration and decision making – all crucial elements needed to perform at your best behind the wheel, especially when driving a school minibus. Tired drivers are much more likely to cause or be involved in an accident, and the crash is more likely to be severe as a result of a drowsy or sleepless driver. As a benchmark, the Highway Code recommends that a minimum break for drivers should be at least 15 minutes for every two hours of driving. An alternative solution is for a colleague who is eligible to drive the minibus to take over and complete the journey safely.
At Marshall Minibus, we understand that this is a tough time of the academic year for teachers and students alike, but personal safety is paramount anywhere. We recommend that operators of the school minibus should set and implement clear policies on driver hours and plan journeys accordingly to suit each drivers’ needs. This ensures that drivers do not drive when too tired, and safety is not jeopardised.
To find out more on how we can help with all of your minibus requirements, please visit our dedicated ‘Compliance’ section on our website here, or call us directly 01480 220 444.
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