Fatigue is Fatal: Can you Spot the Signs in your Fleet?

Driving remains one of the most dangerous tasks people undertake daily - particularly for those behind the wheel as part of their job. At VUE, we're supporting the latest Driving for Better Business update with a renewed focus on a critical but often underestimated risk: driver fatigue.

Fatigue and tiredness significantly impact driver behaviour, coordination and reaction times - all of which are key contributors to serious road incidents. In fact, when fatigue plays a role in a crash, the consequences can be devastating and even fatal. The law reflects this, with fatigued drivers facing serious charges, including death by dangerous driving.

As fleet managers, operators, or business owners, it’s your responsibility to ensure drivers are fit for duty - that means well-rested, alert and fully aware of the dangers fatigue presents. With the right training, monitoring and support in place, you can help prevent avoidable incidents and protect your workforce.

We aim to explain how video telematics and driver behaviour can play a vital role in identifying fatigue risks and promoting safer, more responsible driving across your fleet.

How confident are you that fatigue isn’t affecting your drivers?

Fatigue isn’t always easy to spot. Many drivers won’t admit they’re tired and some may not even realise just how impaired their driving has become. Hence why the latest update from Driving for Better Business urges organisations to take a closer look at fatigue risk within their fleets, to ensure it’s firmly embedded within their driving for work policies.

There’s more to it than monitoring driving hours or ticking boxes for compliance - it's about ensuring drivers have enough sleep, look after their wellbeing and are not fatigued when they’re behind the wheel. Are your drivers getting enough high-quality rest? Do they suffer from common sleep disorders? What proactive steps are you taking to reduce fatigue risk across your operation?

Those are all very important questions within fleet operations.

Introducing VUE’s Driver Monitoring System : A Smarter Way to Detect Fatigue

VUE understands that relying on manual checks or assumptions isn’t enough to ensure every driver is complying with health and safety measures through being well rested and not driving when experiencing fatigue. Something that can help combat this is VUE’s Driver Monitoring System (DMS) - a smart in-cab camera system that uses artificial intelligence to detect the signs of fatigue and distraction in real-time.

VUE's DMS continuously monitors drivers for signs such as yawning, eye closure, mobile phone use and smoking. When fatigue-related behaviour is detected, the system provides instant in-cab alerts to help the driver refocus, while also capturing on camera the incident for fleet managers to review.

Combining this intelligent technology with education and policy improvements, businesses can take action to reduce the risks associated with tired driving.

Driver fatigue must be taken seriously - not just as a compliance issue, but as a fundamental part of fleet safety and the wellbeing of other road users, especially vulnerable ones. With tools like DMS and a proactive safety culture, your fleet can be much safer on and off the roads by protecting your drivers, reducing collisions and lastly, fulfilling your duty of care.

With that all being said one question remains, are you doing enough to manage fatigue in your fleet?

Driving for Better Business in collaboration with National Highways Vehicle Incident Prevention team are offering free resources to help create safer environments on the roads and to help fleet operators manage their fleets. They cover an important area every month with this months focus of course being fatigue.

To access more resources on this topic visit: Driver Fatigue - Fleet Safety Focus from Driving for Business