The evidence that is currently available suggests that 20% of motor vehicle crashes are due to fatigue.The Victorian Taxi Directorate found that the average shift for driving taxis are 9.5, though some drivers are driving 16 hours. When an interviewer started to ask drivers how long their actual shifts were many would admit that their shifts went past 12 hours. The reason being that drivers usually have to split their profits 50-50 with the owners and therefore driver for as long as the possible can. Drivers who are awake for more than 17 hours double their chances of an accident and being awake fore more than 24 hours increase the chances for an accident by seven times (which is the same for having a alcohol level of 0.10).
While airline and trucking industries are regulated, the taxi industry isn’t.
