Don’t let driver fatigue ruin your holiday »

Some research suggests that being awake for 17 hours produces equivalent impairment to a blood alcohol content of. Road safety expert Dr Vanessa Beanland from The Australian National University (ANU) has warned drivers to beware of the dangers of fatigue during the holidays. "At this time of year everyone is driving somewhere to visit loved ones, to a holiday destination and travelling long distances," Dr Beanland said. "People are often more tired than usual when they get in the car due to planning, packing, shopping or working and going further than they usually would." Dr Beanland from the ANU Research School of Psychology researches road safety and driver behaviour. She said people were often not aware of the extent of impairment that results from being sleepy. "Some research suggests that being awake for 17 hours produces equivalent impairment to a blood alcohol content of.05," she said. "If you are driving down the coast after a long day at work that is equivalent to driving with an illegal level of intoxication." The annual economic cost of road crashes in Australia is estimated at $27 billion per year.