If you start feeling tired and drowsy during a long trip, should you continue driving?

In the photo you are driving on a motorway under a flyover, in good weather and light traffic - typical conditions on a long, monotonous route where it is easy to become drowsy. When you start to feel tired and drowsy, you must not continue driving: falling asleep at the wheel takes seconds, and at 120 km/h the car travels several dozen metres out of control in that time. The answer is: no.

The Road Traffic Act requires a driver to avoid any action that could endanger road safety, and driving while drowsy is exactly such an action. Tiredness works like alcohol: it lengthens reaction time, narrows attention and leads to microsleeps that the driver does not notice. An open window or loud music helps only for a moment; what works is pulling into the nearest rest area (MOP) or car park, a 15-20 minute nap and a coffee, and best of all, changing drivers.

Legal basis: Art. 3 para. 1 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)