The facts may say the days have started getting longer again, but one in 10 people who drive for work have admitted falling asleep at the wheel in the past 12 months, according to new research by road safety charity Brake and Green Flag.

The shocking figure is more than twice as high as the number of drivers who don't drive for work but who say they fell asleep in the past year, which is still an alarmingly high one in 25 drivers (4%). Nodding off for just a second or two at the wheel can kill: travelling at 60mph on a motorway (one of the main types of road where fatigue commonly occurs), a driver covers 27 metres (88 feet) per second. One of the main causes of nodding off at the wheel is insufficient sleep the night before. The research has found that people who drive for work are more likely to drive after insufficient sleep.

Half of people who drive for work who were surveyed say they sometimes drive after less than five hours' sleep, compared to just over a third (35%) of people who drive only outside work. Research shows that if you drive after less than five hours' sleep, you have just a one in ten chance of staying fully awake on a lengthy journey. An estimated six people die each week in crashes caused by tired drivers. Tired driving crashes tend to be high-speed, as drivers do not brake, meaning the risk of death or serious injury is greater than in some other types of crashes.