When an urgent service call runs into the evening, getting the job done is only part of what an employee still faces. There is also the drive home, when often along a familiar route could feel more demanding after several unexpected hours of work. An employee who started the day well rested may need a different travel plan by the time the work is finished, and employers can strengthen drowsy driving prevention by making room for that conversation before the keys turn in the ignition.

As many as one in five fatal crashes recorded recently involve driver fatigue. Drowsy Driving Prevention Week helps bring attention to a risk that could follow employees beyond the jobsite, production floor, or a customer’s door. This annual campaign encourages people to prioritize sleep and drive well-rested. For commercial businesses, prevention begins within the workday, as well as schedules that allow for rest, realistic travel expectations, and supervisors who are prepared to help when an employee is too tired to drive safely.

“Fatigue management is more than reminding employees to get enough sleep. It requires employers to evaluate workloads, scheduling practices, and travel expectations,” said Chadwick Holliman, Senior Risk Management Consultant at Amerisure.

“When employees feel comfortable reporting fatigue and supervisors have the authority to respond, organizations are in a much better position to prevent incidents before they happen.”

When the Workday Follows You Home

Fatigue often builds gradually, making the effects easy to underestimate. A commercial driver may feel capable of finishing a familiar route, even as attention narrows and reactions slow.

Recent research shows that performance after 17 consecutive hours awake can resemble impairment at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05%. An employee who wakes up early, works a full day, then stays late to finish an assignment may have been awake far longer than the shift itself suggests.

And this exposure reaches beyond an employee whose primary job is driving. Service technicians, construction supervisors and healthcare employees may begin a trip home after a demanding day. Workers on rotating or overnight shifts, commercial vehicle operators, and emergency responders frequently face additional scheduling challenges, as long shifts and demanding shift work make fatigue harder to manage when recovery time is limited.

Lack of sleep is only part of the picture. Poor-quality sleep, stress, extended work hours and sleep disorders can also contribute to fatigue that affects driving performance.

Timing matters, too. Drowsy-driving crashes occur most frequently between midnight and 6 a.m., or in the late afternoon, when the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle brings a dip in alertness. Those periods could coincide with an early departure, a shift change, or the final trip between locations.

A Few Seconds and a Significant Distance

One of fatigue’s most dangerous effects is how briefly a driver might lose awareness, and how far the vehicle travels in that time. A severely sleep-deprived driver may experience a “microsleep” lasting four or five seconds. At 55 mph, that means traveling more than 100 yards while fully asleep. Coffee or energy drinks could create a temporary feeling of alertness without preventing these sometimes significant lapses.

Warning signs also appear before a driver nods off. Slower reactions, tunnel vision, lane drifting and difficulty remembering the last few miles may signal that fatigue is affecting performance. For example, lane drifting or hitting a rumble strip could each be an early warning sign. Drivers should understand that difficulty in staying alert is a reason to stop driving in a safe location and seek an alternative, and that adequate rest remains the foundation of prevention; a demanding schedule needs to leave room for it.

Always be sure to take into consideration the return trip when estimating how much time an assignment will require, and reassess the travel plan if the work happens to run late. That conversation is much easier while a driver is still on site, and a supervisor can help arrange another, safer option.

Strengthen the Plan Before Departure

Consider a technician whose repair extends well beyond the expected finish. Rather than leaving the employee to decide alone whether to make the drive home, a supervisor should check-in about fatigue and discuss a potentially safer alternative. Depending on the circumstances, that might mean arranging a rested driver or finding alternate overnight accommodations.

Those options need to be workable before someone asks for assistance. When reviewing assignments, account for the time employees will spend traveling, as well as the hours they will work. If an urgent call extends the day, the return trip deserves another look along with the schedule.

Planning for absences can also reduce the need to keep extending the same employees’ shifts. Staffing arrangements and limits on consecutive shifts should be supported by sleep-health training that helps people recognize when fatigue is affecting them. During extended work, regularly scheduled rest breaks and opportunities for planned naps support that effort, while adequate sleep remains essential.

For drivers covered by federal hours-of-service regulations, monitor compliance with applicable driving and rest requirements. Employees also need to know who to call if they become too tired to continue, and supervisors need the authority to arrange a safe response.

Connect the Signals

A fatigue risk management system helps a business examine how work schedules and employee reports relate to incidents or near misses. A recurring concern on the same route, for example, may prompt a closer look at the hours required to complete it and whether the assignment leaves enough time for recovery.

In-vehicle telematics and monitoring data can contribute to that review by revealing possible signs of fatigue. Wearables, including instrumented wristbands and glasses, are another option to evaluate, with attention to whether the tool suits the work and how the information be might used.

Before introducing telematics, be sure to explain the purpose to employees and establish who will review subsequent alerts. The entire team needs to understand what happens when a concern appears, so information leads to sustained support while there is still time to act.

Speaking Up

When an employee reports being too tired to drive, the response from safety management might affect whether that person feels comfortable raising the concern again. Arranging a safe next step should be followed by a conversation about what contributed to the situation, with the employee involved in finding a solution. And following up on safety reports helps make that process useful. If a route regularly takes longer than planned, review the assignment with the people driving it, and explain what will change and how.

Drowsy Driving Prevention Week offers an opportunity to practice that response before it is needed. Walk supervisors and employees through a late assignment followed by a report of fatigue, then work out how another travel arrangement would be approved. If the discussion exposes a gap, address it while the team has time to prepare.

Carrying Safety Through

By the end of a demanding day, an employee should know that asking for help with the drive home will receive a practical response. That confidence grows when schedules allow for rest and supervisors are prepared to adjust plans as work changes. Amerisure’s Risk Management team works alongside agency partners and policyholders to examine exposures and explore ways to make safer travel part of every workday.

And for more information, resources from the National Safety Council and the National Sleep Foundation help keep the conversation going beyond the annual campaign.