Alcohol Vs Fatigue
 

Spent a lazy weekend in front of the box and ended up watching re-runs of Top Gear and Fifth Gear on Dave.

They showed an episode of Firth Gear from about 2003 with Tiff Needel and Quentin Wilson where they compared the effects on drink driving and fatigue to each other. They did various group tests with Wilsons group of test subjects been was kept up all night whilst Needels were kept slightly over the limit. It culminated with the two of them taking it in turn to drive round a track simulating a motorway environment (but no other traffic!).

The piece ended with a Professor from the University of Loughbrough backing up their findings with some research they had done that showed that being fatigued you are actually more likely to have an accident than if you were slightly over the drink/drive limit.

Pretty interesting stuff and a bit of an eye opener for me as I would have thought the opposite. I know they did it in cars but its pretty pertinent to flying too, I know I have flown when tired before.

J.

Hey Julian,

I thought you were the expert on Alchohol related effects :) Fancy another trip to LA in the autumn for some Rock star parties and booze?

Email or call me with the dates when you are back in the country and will sort it out, I have a shed load of leave to use up so could be a good excuse :)

J.

Julian. I very rarely watch Fifth Gear, but I was fortunate to see that particular programme, too. I found it similarly interesting and, as I remember, it initiated no debate on the subject at all. It clearly wasn't what the grown-ups wanted hear.

Not really suprising, IMHO. If you are knackered then you are knackered and not really functioning. OTOH if you are a bit p*ssed then you can still be wide awake.

I read the research being done before introducing the breathalyser. The tasks were mainly tracking radar plots. The amounts of alcahol weren't large but subjects were not as aware of things happening. They tended to concentrate very hard on what they were doing rather than what was happening if you understand what I mean.

I have certainly driven pissed in the dark past and I have driven (and flown) knackered. I did things very well when pissed but I didn't react to other things quickly, such as people stepping out or other traffic. Being knackered was def. bad. I rolled a motor once after after a long stint. I didn't realise how fast I was going and was frankly sluggish.

I too used to drive (1970s/80s) well p*ssed; probably several times the limit - like so many in those days - and I never did anything remotely as dangerous as when driving when tired.

Fortunately, flying is different in that most of the time one does not need to pay attention to anything. Autopilot on, and there is plenty of time to think and act. In fact this alone can send one to sleep - nothing worse than crawling at 150kt across N France :)

I have often driven my motorcycle while fatiqued either through work or lack of sleep and any mishap could be fatal (:ouch:a bit like flying).
At least on the bike you can tip up your visor and get a face full of fresh air which can also be achieved in a Cessna by opening and turning the vent but that probably ony works up here in the chilly North.