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Your lifestyle and driving
Learn about how the way you live your life can affect how you drive.
In this topic
Lifestyle choices that can affect your learner's driving
Driving fatigued
How to tell your learner is driving fatigued
The Driver Reviver program
Strategies to help your learner manage their fatigue
Alcohol, drugs and driving
Prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
Lifestyle choices that can affect your learner's driving
How your learner lives their life can sometimes affect how they drive.
So they should have some strategies to improve their focus and concentration.
Some examples of lifestyle factors that may affect your learner’s driving include:
- Working or studying late.
- Drugs or alcohol.
- Being awake at times when they're normally sleeping.
Driving fatigued
Driving when your learner is tired will affect their focus and concentration, which may cause them to:
- Respond slowly.
- Make poor driving decisions.
- Choose gaps that are too small.
- Misjudge corner speed.
- Drift into other lanes, trees or objects.
- Reduce their ability to see, think about and respond to hazards.
You must always drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of zero and never drive under the influence of illicit drugs.
How to tell your learner is driving fatigued
Stop driving and take a break if your learner experiences signs of fatigue while driving, such as:
- They can’t remember the last few moments of driving.
- They start to daydream.
- They start making small mistakes.
- Their driving isn’t smooth.
- They keep yawning.
- They start drifting in their lane.
- They notice their speed is fluctuating.
The Driver Reviver Program
The Driver Reviver and Pause Stop sites program aims to reduce road collisions by providing designated stops for drivers to stop, rest and refresh with free tea, coffee and biscuits.
Strategies for managing fatigue
Here are some things your learner can do to manage their fatigue:
- Avoid driving at times they'd normally be sleeping.
- Get plenty of sleep before they drive.
- Avoid going for drives after a long day of study or work.
- Plan for and take regular breaks every one and a half to two hours.
- Be aware of any medications that may make them drowsy.
- Swap drivers.
Alcohol, drugs and driving
Driving when your learner has had alcohol, drugs or medicines can:
- Affect their ability to make decisions.
- Make them feel as if they’re a better driver.
- Make them take more risks.
- Make them have slower reflexes.
- Affect their coordination.
- Make them tired or sleepy.
Some prescription and over-the-counter medicines will affect your learner's ability to drive safely. Check with your learner's doctor or pharmacist to be sure.