Ending your holiday with a bang

Over 3 million people admit to driving home tired after flying long-haul, posing a risk of accidents to both themselves and other road users reveals Saga Motor Insurance.

Almost 1.3 million drivers also admit to usually drinking on long haul flights and then driving home when they land. The figures reveal a worrying risk of increased accidents as the summer holiday season approaches and more and more holidaymakers hit the road on their journeys back from the airport.

Driving yourself home is the top way of getting home from the airport after short haul flights (27%) and over one in ten people (18%) drive themselves home after long haul flights. However over half of people who have driven home after flying long-haul admit to feeling tired, this therefore makes them a potential threat to road users. Research suggests that about 300 people are killed each year as a result of drivers falling asleep at the wheel. Too little sleep radically affects your ability to drive safely and after five hours' sleep you only have a one in ten chance of staying fully awake on a lengthy journey. The Saga study revealed that over half (53%) of people have to drive over 50 miles to get home from the airport suggesting that the average journey time would be more than an hour.

Holidaymakers are also guilty of making the most of on board alcohol and then driving home once they have landed. Over 20% of short-haul passengers and 22% of long haul passengers confess to usually drinking on board and then driving home from the airport. Whilst there is no evidence to suggest these drivers are over the legal drink drive limit, the combined effects of deprived or interrupted sleep and even small qualities of alcohol can affect their driving abilities.

Professor Jim Horne, Director at the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University explains "Alcohol is a soporific, worsening any underlying sleepiness, which is why even small quantities of alcohol well under the legal limit can have profound effects. It can be particularly dangerous after flying when your body is more susceptible to the effects of alcohol. Driving under these conditions, knowing your are sleepy, puts your life and those of your passengers and other road users at considerable risk - think again - is this the way you want to end your holiday?"

Over 200,000 drivers also drive feeling unwell and confused after flying long haul, adding to the risk that they are not fit to drive.

Andrew Goodsell, Chief Executive of Saga, commented "This research reveals a worrying picture. A lack of sleep or drinking onboard can mean that drivers are not fully alert for the journey home. We recommend anyone driving after flying plans their journey to include time for adequate rest, or take a taxi or public transport to get home if they know they are likely to feel tired."