M.W. Johns. Drowsy Driving and the Law. A Submission to the Tasmania Law Reform Institute re: Issues Paper No 12. November 2007.
Summary
Driving while in the drowsy state is acknowledged to be a common cause of road crashes. However, much of the discussion about this problem is being conducted with a very limited understanding of the nature of the drowsy state. In particular, there is widespread misunderstanding that the states of fatigue and drowsiness are the same. The distinguishing features of these two states are briefly described here, highlighting the fluctuating nature of the drowsy state and its periods with lack of awareness of the here-and-now that make "drowsy driving" so dangerous. Some experiments are described that illustrate the nature of drowsiness, but more research is needed on this topic that has been largely neglected previously. A detailed report about the various methods for assessing drowsiness in drivers (commissioned by VicRoads in 2001) is attached as Appendix A, to be read as back-ground information as required.
