Are dads dangerous behind the wheel with lack of sleep?
A high number of new dads are driving their new-born baby home from hospital in a potentially dangerous state due to an extreme lack of sleep, which could render them as unsafe behind the wheel as a drink-driver, according to new research.
The survey, carried out by Britax in conjunction with Loughborough University found that more than half of dads had only five or less hours sleep in the 48 hours prior to driving home.
Furthermore, a third of fathers admit they shouldn’t have driven their baby home from the hospital in the state they were in.
The poll of 1,000 British fathers aged between 18-40-years-old revealed one quarter could not even remember the drive back, with the average journey home taking 21 minutes.
A further 1 in 10 fathers drove home after just an hour or less of sleep – which has the same effect on driving as being over the legal blood alcohol limit.
Over 60 per cent of respondents admitted to not being able to drive normally because of their extreme tiredness, however, 85 per cent would make the journey again, with many stating they had no other option.
As a result of the study, Loughborough University have produced safe driving guidelines which include pre-planning the route, trying to fit in more sleep during the day you are due to drive your baby home and even organising someone else to drive for you.
