I cam across this interesting news article from The Sun that states that “drivers could land themselves a £1,000 fine for not drinking enough water”.
According to a study from Loughborough University, dehydrated drivers are considered to be as dangerous as drivers who get behind the wheel drunk. Not drinking enough water can lead to symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, tiredness, cramps and loss of focus.
So if police have reason to believe that a driver is dehydrated, they could be given a £1,000 fine.
Mike Thompson, Chief Operating Officer at Leasing Options, said, “We’re used to checking the water and oil levels of our car before we set off but how many people check their own water levels?
“When starting your car before a long-distance journey, you may not think drinking an extra glass of water before leaving the house would affect your driving abilities, but you would be wrong.
“Drinking more water will not only have a positive effect on the body but will also prevent the chance of dizziness or loss of focus because of it.”
The same company conducted a survey that found 84% of motorists believe drink-driving is more dangerous than driving when dehydrated. Also, 3 in 5 people did not know the risks of dehydration behind the wheel. With 70% of accidents on UK roads being attributed to driver error, perhaps these accidents are partially caused by not drinking enough water as well.
So drivers are advised to take regular breaks and refill their water supply, especially during summer months. This news article was interesting as I didn’t realise drivers could be fined this amount for dehydration. I’m not sure how police could test for dehydration, but it makes sense to fine drivers if dehydration is just as dangerous as drink driving.
Perhaps I could lean my project more towards this idea of hydration. Drivers could use an app that helps them track their hydration intake so they don’t get fined. And not just drivers, but hydration is important for other professions as well, such as athletes. I could cater my app to a specific target audience and further refine my research instead of taking a broad approach.