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Original poster

Prosecuted for driving while tired?

203 replies

echt · 08/05/2023 07:06

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/may/08/blood-test-for-sleepy-drivers-could-pave-way-for-prosecutions
and
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/may/08/experts-divided-on-ethics-of-testing-and-punishing-tired-drivers

This is at the research stage, but tests are being investigated that will pick up the blood markers showing that a person is too tired to drive.
What do you think of it? My immediate thought was of current drink/drug testing in Australia where drivers are pulled over routinely for testing at random.

Blood test for sleepy drivers could pave way for prosecutions

Exclusive: Research comes amid evidence that driving on less than five hours’ sleep is as dangerous as drink-driving

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/may/08/blood-test-for-sleepy-drivers-could-pave-way-for-prosecutions

OP posts:
notimagain · 11/05/2023 11:49

Grantanow · 11/05/2023 11:30

Yet another burden for the justice system (although the government loves fine income) and another way of killing off the NHS. The effects of tiredness must vary from individual to individual. I'd rather be driven by a competent but tired person than by a fresh but incompetent driver. Should not such tests be applied to all NHS doctors so they don't go on working beyond their tiredness capacity? Should our politicians be tested so they don't make foolish decisions when too tired? Come to think of it, I thought the new king looked a bit tired on Saturday. And then there are tired voters at the end of a working day putting their cross in the wrong box.

The concept of a objective test for fatigue has been looked at for years so it will be interesting to see whether these blood tests are a breakthrough or just another attempt to crack this particular nut and it ends up going nowhere.

Whatever, I suspect that we are a heck of a long way off seeing the sort of legislation hinted at in the Guardian (e.g. 5 hours achieved sleep in a rolling 24) being enacted in the UK.

Should not such tests be applied to all NHS doctors so they don't go on working beyond their tiredness capacity? Should our politicians be tested so they don't make foolish decisions when too tired?

I wouldn't disagree at all with that but I'd hazard a guess that at the hint of any such legislation there would be lobbying by interested parties to ensure their industry/workforce/employees etc were exempt from such testing...

Fluff3 · 22/05/2023 10:56

As a nurse, I very much doubt that there is a blood test that can determine that you are just tired. Blood tests can pick up a number of medical conditions that can cause tiredness as a symptom, but not just tiredness alone due to lack of sleep for example. This is just scaremongering, besides which, that would be extra training for the police to take blood tests.

Twentyfirstcenturymumma · 22/05/2023 17:51

Fluff3 · 22/05/2023 10:56

As a nurse, I very much doubt that there is a blood test that can determine that you are just tired. Blood tests can pick up a number of medical conditions that can cause tiredness as a symptom, but not just tiredness alone due to lack of sleep for example. This is just scaremongering, besides which, that would be extra training for the police to take blood tests.

Have you read the research that has ignited this whole debate?
There's a link to the Guardian article about it at the top of this thread?
The blood test is probably 2 years away max.

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