Good coffee for 'uncle'

Long-distance drivers say coffee, tea, energy drinks or drugs help them fight sleepiness and drive safer, according to AFP on March 20.

Scientists at the University of Sydney (Australia) studied traffic accidents between 2008 and 2011 in New South Wales and Western Australia, involving vehicles with a capacity of at least 12 tons.

Long-distance driving desperately needs alertness

They compared 530 drivers who had traffic accidents on long routes and 517 drivers who had no traffic accidents in the previous 12 months.

They look at age factors, sleep patterns, and breaks during long-distance driving.

The team found that drivers using caffeine-containing drinks to help them stay awake reduced 63 percent of the risk of traffic accidents, compared with drivers who didn't use them.

They came to the conclusion that caffeine can be considered an effective way to stay alert while driving. However, the driver still has to rest, sleep and exercise regularly.

The study was published in the British Medical Journal on March 19.