Dr David Hillman, the Chair of the Sleep Health Foundation, Australia’s leading national advocate for sleep health, has released his top tips for keeping drivers safe on the roads.

• Make sure you’ve had at least seven hours sleep the night before a long drive
• If you have to drive for long periods of time, try to take a short power nap after lunch
• Share the driving with someone else and help keep each other awake
• Have a break every two hours, get out of the car and walk around for a few minutes
• Don’t drive between 1am and 6am
• Don’t drive if you’ve been awake for more than 17 hours
• Pull over if you regularly notice difficulty keeping your eyes open, or find yourself relying on loud music, energy drinks or fresh air to stay awake.

Sleep Health Foundation, March 2015