Any reason for the high number of deaths in that low-speed crash in Ch'ch Dave? I gather the vehicle was only travelling at 30-40km/h... Sort of makes a mockery of the speed kills message doesn't it. Best plan is not to crash in the first place, which suggests focus is on the wrong things. If only there was a breathalyser-type instrument that could measure stupidity. I am regularly passed by a half-wit in a red Honda on the way to work, and I suspect he would score rather high on the stupid-scale...

Quite right.

The problem though is that this is very hard to legislate or correct because it is difficult to measure. Alcohol levels can be measured, as can speeding or using a cell phone. Driving while tired is hard to measure because there are no units for tiredness.

That's the problem that has lead to lots of specific legislation, like the cell phone ban. We should not need this law because it should just be covered by driving without due care.

Unfortunately driving without due care is very difficult to measure and thus modify or prosecute until a crash happens.

My mum pulled over once on the highway, concerned about a motorcyclist whose booted foot she saw sticking out of the long grass of the verge next to his bike (which was standing).

Hurrying over she asked "Are you alright!?"

"Yeah..." came the mumbled reply from the grass. "I was asleep."

It seems as though some drivers don't know they're tired before they fall asleep! In the crash the other week, where the older man was driving (home from the hospital, I think) did he not realise that he was sleepy? I've never personally been anywhere near falling asleep while driving, but can't imagine actually ever doing it either. It takes me a long time to fall asleep though, maybe some people are able to just drop off to sleep very quickly without realising just how tired they are?

I think this is a far more common problem than is recognised in NZ. It's not uncommon for me to drive 130km to work on a Monday morning in a state of fatigue. Not because I didn't try to sleep but because idiots driving logging trucks pass our rural property using jake (exhaust) brakes from 3am onwards. They are unloaded and we are not on a hilly section of the road, so using the jake shows they are not well trained drivers. Ah - if only there were a stupidity meter! So - do I call in sick and dump the problem on my employer? Sometimes I drive in late at night (over the Rimutaka hill and all) to get a better night's sleep in town, but am I any less fatigued at 11pm? Yes - I've complained to the truck company, Police, LTSA, but nobody does anything. So - when you see one of those all too common signs outside a small NZ town pleading with truckies to not use the jake, be very careful - sleepy drivers are probably all around you.

Well put Dave.

I was horrified with the amount of sympathy that the NZ media put on this case. If the driver was 20 years younger there would be no sympathy, just old Judith Collins pronouncing "Put the person in jail, they should have pulled over earlier".

Oh and in regards to #1 I believe it hit the lamppost side on, causing a snapping of the neck, although the coroners verdict will have to be released first before making any assumptions.

After being hit by a vehicle whose driver had fallen asleep, & suffering from the effects of the crash for nearly 15years (thanks ACC - NOT!) I don't see why they shouldn't be treated the same as drunk drivers.

In my case the 75yr old driver got a slap on the wrist & a fine for failing to keep left. I have suffered from the damage to my neck ever since - & in that accident neither vehicle was travelling above 60kms at impact.

There are several laws that can be used against these drivers but rarely do you see these in the media... maybe more media coverage of these convictions would make people think twice before driving tired

As someone who has actually fallen asleep at the wheel and crashed, I can say with experience that it is really quite an insidious process.

First you drowse momentarily and then wake a second or so later with a surge of adrenalin and go oh damn, bad stuff and concentrate like hell. 10 min later, the adrenaline is gone, and you will nod off again. This time you wake because the weight of your head on your neck makes you go ow. The pain triggers another surge of adrenalin. 10 min later, that too is gone. This time your brain says to itself .. if my head tilts, it hurts, therefore I need to keep my head up. You will nod off and your muscles will stay locked until you really fall asleep. I travelled almost half a kilometer at roughly 20kph before I hit a parked car, writing off it and mine. Extremely fortunately noone was around for me to hit because it was late at night.

Driving drunk you misjudge what you are doing, and will make bad decisions. Drive tired, and you may not even know what happened...