RTA Definition of fatigue. Whereas a fatigued driver may drift across the road in a micro-sleep, a fatigued rider may be quite alert but crash on a curve or while overtaking due to an error of judgment. It may be that some motorcycle crashes that are assumed to be due to excessive speed, may in fact be the result of poor judgment and loss of attention due to fatigue.
Driver fatigue is a general term commonly used to describe the experience of being "sleepy", "tired" or "exhausted". Fatigue is both a physiological and a psychological experience. Driver fatigue can severely impair judgment and is particularly dangerous because one of the symptoms is decreased ability to judge our own level of tiredness. They include:. These are predominantly the symptoms of performing a monotonous task within an enclosed vehicle, where the operator is separated from the external driving environment.
In a modern car with a large fuel tank, a driver could continue without a break for many hours. Driver reviver programs focus on the value of encouraging drivers to stop for a break and revive every two hours, but this may be a less appropriate countermeasure for motorcyclists.
The two hour time frame is based on fatigue as it affects a driver. Motorcyclist are unlikely to ride for more than about two hours without a break because they will run out of fuel. This does not mean that motorcyclists do not suffer from fatigue, but the symptoms and time frames may be different.
Riding a motorcycle is far more physically and mentally demanding than driving a car. Rider fatigue is more likely to be a response to physical exhaustion than to monotony.
Other factors include dehydration and exposure to the weather heat, cold, wind noise and buffeting etc. The symptoms of rider fatigue include:. There is an urgent need to research the causes and symptoms of motorcyclist fatigue and develop new criteria to be applied by police when reporting motorcycle crashes.
Broadly speaking, though, they can be broken down by the individual, the environment and the activity — see table below. To further complicate matters,any and all of the factors in the table above can influence one another, meaning that you must look at the overall picture in order to understand fatigue in any given context. Of course, riding a mountain bike relies on appropriate contractions of the leg muscles.
For those contractions to occur, electrical signals must originate in your brain, travel down your spinal cord, through peripheral nerves in your lower limbs, and into your leg muscles.
This stimulates complex chemical processes within your muscles that enable them to contract. So, any disruption in any of these processes can cause fatigue.
Or how about a strong, persistent headwind, causing you to expend more energy than you anticipated? Hopefully you can see how easily the number of body systems, organs and processes potentially involved in fatigue, can exponentially increase. Learning a little about fatigue in sport and exercise can give us a real appreciation for and celebration of the amazing machines that are our bodies, and the truly whole-body demands and benefits that mountain biking can afford us.
Riding without proper gear in a tank-top and open-face helmet may seem like the best way to deal with the heat, but will actually wear you out and heat you up quicker than when wearing a vented mesh jacket. This gives perspiration the chance to stay on your skin cooling it — where wind-flow is reduced but not eliminated. A windscreen on your motorcycle will also reduce and change the wind flow against your body. Noise is amplified further — the smaller the form of head protection you wear i.
The best solution for noise however will always be — earplugs. A windscreen can also deflect and cut wind noise. Vision clarity can be an issue on extended rides too.
Significant distortion in your windscreen, visor, or even sunglasses can cause you to feel disoriented or tired or even induce headaches. If your vision has changed so that your prescription is no longer adequate, get an exam and a solution prior to your departure.
And if needed, pitch your tent or book a room and sleep it off. When riding your motorcycle, make your personal safety a priority. Ride your own ride and within your own abilities. Always wear a helmet, protective clothing, and eyewear. Apply the same standards to your passenger. Never ride under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Be a great example of motorcycling!
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