A new study by scientists at Utrecht University in the Netherlands has found that a few hours of night driving causes tiredness which can affect the performance behind the wheel just as much as drink driving.

The research involved 14 young men aged between 21 and 25 driving for different periods of time during the night while maintaining a regular speed of 80mph on the motorway and keeping to the centre of the traffic lane. The findings, which have been published in the Sleep Research journal, showed that after three hours of night driving the motorist was driving as badly as if they were over the drink-drive limit.

The scientists are now calling for a maximum two-hour period of night driving to be imposed to try and cut down on accidents and death rates on roads. Last year researchers at Cardiff University called on the government to ban newly-qualified drivers from driving at night as happens in New Zealand, Australia and the USA.

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1348860/Driving-hours-night-bad-wheel-drunk.html