Automotive Business Magazine – Q2 2026 – Digital edition - Magazine - Page 63
OPINION
FLEET
driver fatigue
'sleep debt'. When a person is extremely
tired, the dangerous phenomenon of
'microsleeping' can occur.
This is where a person experiences
brief, uncontrollable lapses of attention.
At motorway speeds, a vehicle can travel
the length of a football pitch in this time
– it goes without saying that making
drivers work in this condition greatly
increases the chances of a major collision
on the roads.
From a legal perspective, the main
question investigators will ask after
a fleet vehicle crash is ‘was this
foreseeable and preventable?’.
More and more, courts are expecting
employers to demonstrate a proactive
fatigue management strategy, alongside
evidence that it is actually being
implemented. Failure to do so greatly
increases the risk that the investigators
will find the crash avoidable and place
liability on the organisation.
Technology can be helpful, but fleet
managers shouldn’t treat it as a silver
bullet. Telematics systems which monitor
harsh braking, lane deviation, and erratic
driving can identify warning signs of a
driver being too tired, but they ultimately
cannot make them less tired.
Some vehicles now also have inbuilt
fatigue detection systems; however, such
technology must sit alongside a company
culture which expressly forbids driving
while overly fatigued, and where drivers
feel able to tell their employers that they
are too tired to work.
Fleet managers should view fatigue not
merely as a compliance issue, but as a
strategic risk. A single serious collision
can result in life-changing injuries,
reputational damage and substantial
financial cost.
Civil claims involving catastrophic
injuries as the result of negligence
frequently run into seven figure sums.
Beyond the legal and financial costs,
there is the human element too: scores
of people’s lives, both on and off the
road, are changed forever after a crash
from the victims to their families, and of
course the driver involved.
→ John Kushnick
is legal director
at National Accident Helpline
Becoming a responsible operator
To create a safe driving culture, first,
audit working patterns. Examine shift
lengths, turnaround times and overtime
practices. Are schedules realistic when
traffic, weather and unforeseen delays
are factored in?
Second, create a genuine reporting
culture. Drivers must feel able to declare
fatigue without fear of sanction. Clear
policies should state that safety takes
precedence over delivery targets.
Third, provide education. Many drivers
underestimate the dangers of fatigue or
rely on ineffective countermeasures such
as caffeine.
Training should emphasise that the only
real cure for tiredness is adequate sleep.
Finally, lead by example. Senior
management should demonstrate
and reinforce safe behaviours. When
safety messaging conflicts with what
employees are seeing with their own
eyes, confusion and non-compliance
can ensue.
The commercial landscape may have
become more demanding than ever
before, but fleet managers need to keep
one guiding principle in mind at all times:
no deadline is worth a life.
Q2 2026
AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS
63
