Are sleep deprived dads putting their babies at risk?
A high proportion of new dads are driving their new-born baby home from hospital in a potentially dangerous state due to an extreme lack of sleep, which could render them as unsafe to drive as a drink-driver.
That’s according to a new study released today which saw a third of fathers admit they shouldn’t have driven their baby home from the hospital in the state they were in.
The survey carried out in conjunction with Loughborough University found that more than half (58%) of dads had only five or less hours sleep in the 48 hours prior to driving home.
The poll of 1,000 British fathers aged between 18-40 years old revealed one quarter could not even remember the drive back, with the average journey home taking 21 minutes.
A further 1 in 10 fathers drove home after just an hour or less of sleep – which has the same effect on driving as being over the legal blood alcohol limit.
Over 60% of respondents admitted to not being able to drive normally because of their extreme tiredness, however, 85% would make the journey again, with many stating they had no other option.
As a result of the study, commissioned by Britax, Loughborough University have produced safe driving guidelines which include pre-planning the route, trying to fit in more sleep during the day you are due to drive your baby home and even organising someone else to drive for you.
Click here to listen to the podcast which features sleep expert Louise Rayner from Loughborough University alongside Mark Bennett, child safety expert.
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