Fatigue, alcohol and drug awareness, and driver fitness
Fatigue, alcohol and drug awareness, and driver fitness
This domain tests the impairments that no amount of skill can overcome, and the fitness standards a professional driver must maintain.
Alcohol and drugs
- Saudi Arabia prohibits alcohol entirely: there is no legal limit, and driving after drinking is a criminal offence with imprisonment, licence loss and deportation for expatriates.
- Illegal drugs and the misuse of prescription medicines are equally prohibited. Random testing exists, and a positive result can be pursued even without a crash.
- Read the label: antihistamines, strong painkillers, sedatives and some cold remedies cause drowsiness. Ask the pharmacist about driving and tell your employer.
Fatigue
- The body's alertness dips hardest between about 02:00 and 06:00 and again mid-afternoon.
- Signs: heavy eyelids, drifting across lane lines, missing signs, yawning, microsleeps, and not remembering the last few kilometres.
- Countermeasures that work: sleep, a planned break roughly every two hours, a short nap of 15–20 minutes, cool air and hydration.
- Countermeasures that do not work: energy drinks, loud music, open windows, chewing, or pushing on to the destination.
- Heat and dehydration accelerate fatigue; so does untreated sleep apnoea, which is a medical fitness issue.
Fitness
- Valid medical certificate, corrected eyesight within standard, controlled diabetes and blood pressure, no uncontrolled epilepsy.
- Declare new medication, illness or injury to the operator before the shift.
Worked example
A driver started at 06:00 and is still on duty at 22:00, having slept five hours. He feels fine after two energy drinks. Reasoning: roughly 17 hours awake produces impairment comparable to a blood-alcohol level near the limits used in other countries, and stimulants mask rather than reverse it. The correct decision is to stop for sleep, not to finish the last hour.
Traps
- Believing coffee, cold air or willpower cures fatigue.
- Assuming a prescribed medicine is safe because a doctor supplied it.