For well over a decade we have been beating the drum for good hydration. As a leading schools supplier (albeit with a sizeable sports & business clientele), it’s hardly surprising that our hydration message has usually been heavily focussed on schoolchildren.
A new report however is now forcing all of us to look in our rear-view mirrors. Literally. So car drivers, please sit up and pay attention - which means most of us, correct?
A new study published in the medical journal Physiology and Behaviour has revealed that even mild dehydration is equivalent to being over the drink-driving limit in contributing to driver errors which are accountable for 68% of all vehicle crashes in the UK.
Researchers at Loughborough University carried out tests using a laboratory-based driving simulator. For those normally hydrated there were 47 driving incidents, but when dehydrated that number more than doubled to 101 – similar to figures expected when driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Typical errors included lane drifting and late braking.
Loughborough’s Professor Ron Maughan, Chair of the European Hydration Institute (EHI) Science Advisory Board, who led the study said, “”We all deplore drink driving but don’t usually think about the effects of other things that affect our driving skills, one of which is dehydration.
“Our findings highlight dehydration as an unrecognised danger. The levels of driver errors we found are of a similar magnitude to those found in people with a blood alcohol content of 0.08%, the current UK legal driving limit. In other words drivers who are not properly hydrated make the same number of errors as people who are over the drink drive limit. Drivers should be encouraged to ensure they are properly hydrated.”
Jane Holdsworth, Director of the EHI,added, “Many drivers avoid drinking on long journeys to minimise bathroom stops, yet we know that even mild hydration can cause symptoms such as headache, tiredness and lethargy. Driver error is by far the largest cause of road traffic accidents and mild hydration had an impact on the incidence of common driver errors”.
So be reminded when you see the “Don’t drink and drive” signs at large this Christmas, that actually you really should (ideally water of course). Make one of our filled bottles a permanent accompaniment in your car–cup holder. Better still one fitted with one of our hands -free lids too, of course. Minimising distraction, since you won't even need to take your eyes off the road.
Since this is likely to be our last blog before the holiday season, best wishes from all of us here at NDA Packaging Services. Please drive safely!
Dehydrated car drivers beware!
