Ever felt heavy eyelids? Your body telling you it just wants to just drift off to sleep? Just a few seconds will do…
You can’t put off sleep, so why do we think we can do it when driving? Yet, most drivers think they can beat sleep.
Whilst you’re having that battle of staying awake, your sleepiness impairs you in many ways you don’t realise. Road rage, distraction, lasting health impacts, forgetfulness, obesity, type 2 diabetes and many other risks become heightened. So even if you may not physically crash, are the life impacts worth it?
As part of NRSPP’s third organisational road safety campaign on sleep, we are going to dive deep into this with some world experts: Sleep, aggression, distraction, fatigue, the whole mix.
Come join Dr Amanda Stephens from Monash University Accident Research Centre and Associate Professor Clare Anderson from Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health at Mon ash University as we explore the evidence behind this campaign. Also joining us will be NRSPP’s communication lead Caitlin Xavier, the curator of the campaign. Leading the webinar will be NRSPP Director Jerome Carslake.
So who are our experts:
Dr Amanda Stephens: Amanda has been involved in road safety research for the past 15 years, studying the psychology behind driver behaviour. She has worked in this field at leading institutions in England, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland. Amanda has authored/co-authored over 80 peer-reviewed articles, conference papers and industry reports. She is recognised as an expert in angry and aggressive driving. Amanda was the researcher lead behind the NRSPP’s second organisational campaign on Aggressive Driving developed in conjunction with Budget Direct.
Associate Professor Clare Anderson: is an Associate Professor and sleep and circadian specialist at the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health at Monash University. She has more than 20 years’ experience examining the contribution of sleep and circadian timing on human performance, and the development of strategies to counter impairment. Her work has a particular focus on road safety and sleep loss (fatigue), including the characterisation of driving impairment, evaluation of technological approaches to managing impairment, and the development of biomarkers for next generation fatigue detection systems. She is a regular speaker, nationally and internationally, and works across industry sectors to maximise alertness, promoting health and safety in the workplace and on the road.
Caitlin Xavier: is NRSPP’s third Swinburne University Communications and Design intern and once again has made amazing additions to the program as part of her work experience. We are hugely lucky to have had her.