Overview

• On July 14 National Highways launched its summer fatigue safety campaign across England’s motorways and major A roads, urging drivers to plan substantial rest breaks.
• The initiative features short films highlighting nearby heritage stopovers such as Bolsover Castle, Hardwick Hall and Wrest Park to encourage pauses beyond quick pit stops.
• A Walnut Omnibus survey of 1,727 adults found just 39% of drivers take a break when tired and 29% did not factor rest stops into their last long journey.
• Analysis of government data from 2016 to 2022 shows an average of 262 people were killed or seriously injured each summer in fatigue-related crashes, 59% more than during the rest of the year.
• The campaign is underscored by the recent sentencing of Will Dohmatob to five years and nine months after falling asleep at the wheel and causing a fatal crash.