1 In 7 Admit Falling Asleep Whilst Driving

A staggering 14% of motorists in Leeds admit they've fallen asleep at the wheel of their vehicle - according to stats today come from Confused.com It comes as there are calls for haulage companies to make sure their drivers are taking enough breaks. Stephen Morton was on his way back to Leeds when he drifted off at the wheel, "Something just jolted my body and I woke up, in front of me there was the back end of an arctic. I was just flying up about 60 and I just managed to pull it onto the hardshoulder and I went by about four or five wagons on the hardshoulder. If owt had been there I'd have wiped them out. If I hadn't have looked up at that precise second I'd have been in the back end of that wagon." Vehicles like lorries and coaches are fitted with devices that monitor the number of breaks the driver's taking. But Stephen says due to tight deadlines - he'd often use that time to unload, "I think a lot of drivers do that, they'll put it on "Break", but yet they're doing their jobs because they're still delivering stuff into shops and factories and that. If not yourself, some innocent people could end up getting killed 'cos of your stupidity." James Gibson's from Road Safety GB who compiled the figures for the insurance firm, "It can literally just be closing your eyes for a few seconds, but of course if we're on a high speed road those few seconds can have dramatic consequences. "We know tiredness is a big problem, people are working potentially longer hours these days making longer journeys in some cases and we really just want to highlight the fact that drivers shouldn't push themselves, they should take a break." Today's research also reveals some of the 'remedy' myths motorists believe will help their fatigue:

• Winding down the window (71%)- Turning the music up (41%)- Drinking caffeine (coffee/energy drink) – 40%- Talking to a passenger – 32%- Putting on the air conditioning – 20%

The full findings for Leeds:

14% have fallen asleep behind the wheel

31% fell asleep most recently on a motorway

81% of all of those who fell asleep behind the wheel did so for up to 0-10s

22% have felt too tired to drive but have continued anyway

3% have been involved in an accident as a result of the other driver falling asleep behind the wheel