Recession increases fatigue for drivers, says Norwich Union

Tue, 14 Apr 2009

Employees working longer hours to make sure they keep their job during the recession may find themselves the victim of fatigue at the wheel, according to car insurance provider Norwich Union .

According to figures from the RAC Foundation, ten per cent of accidents on the road are caused by driver fatigue and they are more likely to lead to death of serious injury due to victims not being able to implement the brakes.

The car insurance company cited the case of Michael Eyres, who crashed his van in 2007 after his employer encouraged him to work a 19-hour day before taking a long journey back home.

Mike Smith, commercial motor technical manager at Norwich Union, said: "Employers need to be aware that in the event of their driver having a serious accident due to fatigue they might be investigated by the Health and Safety Executive or the police ."

Recent research by Sainsbury's Finance found that those financially affected by the credit crunch are cutting back on or completely cancelling their car insurance .
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