Don't speed, don't drive after drinking, don't use your phone, and pull over to rest when you're sleepy

Cost

Free. Driving slower costs a few extra minutes a trip. The hard part is drinking less at a dinner table and holding back from looking when a message comes in. On a long drive, stop for at least 20 minutes every 4 hours.

What you get

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that for every 1% increase in average speed, the risk of a crash that kills rises by 4%. The risk of drunk driving starts to rise from a very low blood alcohol concentration. WHO also says drivers who use a phone are about 4 times as likely to crash as those who don't, and hands-free is not much safer. A U.S. study put cameras in the vehicles of more than 3500 drivers and recorded 905 crashes that injured someone or damaged a vehicle. The comparison was driving clips when the driver was alert, focused and had not been drinking. All the ways of handling a phone in the hand, taken together, gave 3.6 times the chance of a crash (OR 3.6). Dialing was 12.2 times, typing a text message 6.1 times, and reaching for the phone 4.8 times. Browsing was 2.7 times and a handheld call 2.2 times. Where the video showed obvious drowsiness, it was 3.4 times (OR 3.4)

Notes

The 1% and 4% figures for speed and death are estimated from crash models, not from randomized trials. For drunk driving, WHO gives only the direction, not a number. The question of how much risk rises per drink has not been checked against the original literature in this section. The phone and drowsiness multiples count crashes that injured someone or damaged a vehicle, not deaths. The comparison group was a hand-picked “ideal driving state,” so the multiples run somewhat higher than they would against ordinary driving. The law covers making a call while holding the phone, with a fine of 20 to 200 CNY and 3 points. Hands-free is not illegal, but WHO says it is not much safer. Driving more than 4 hours straight without a full 20-minute rest is also illegal; it costs 3 points in a truck, and 9 points in a medium or larger passenger bus or a hazardous-materials vehicle. If you are sleepy, pull into a service area and rest for a while. Cold and allergy medicines containing chlorphenamine or diphenhydramine can also make you sleepy; see §34.12 (chlorphenamine). If you are always sleepy when driving and snore loudly, see §3.27 (sleep apnea).

Evidence grade

B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.

Sources

1. WHO (2025). Road traffic injuries fact sheet: "Drivers using mobile phones are approximately 4 times more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers not using a mobile phone." "Hands-free phones are not much safer than hand-held phone sets." https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/road-traffic-injuries
2. Dingus TA et al. (2016). Driver crash risk factors and prevalence evaluation using naturalistic driving data. PNAS 113(10):2636-2641. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1513271113
3. Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China (amended 2021) [in Chinese], Article 22, paragraph 2: "Anyone who is overly fatigued in a way that affects safe driving shall not drive a motor vehicle"
4. Article 90: "a warning or a fine of more than 20 yuan and less than 200 yuan". https://flk.npc.gov.cn/detail?id=ff8081817ab231eb017abd617ef70519
5. Regulations for the Implementation of the Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China (revised 2017) [in Chinese], Article 62: when driving a motor vehicle, one shall not engage in "(3) making or answering calls on a hand-held phone, watching television, or other behavior that interferes with safe driving" or "(7) driving a motor vehicle continuously for more than 4 hours without stopping to rest, or stopping to rest for less than 20 minutes". https://flk.npc.gov.cn/detail?id=ff8080816f3cbb3c016f40f566c10e23
6. Ministry of Public Security (2021). Measures for the Administration of Demerit Points for Road Traffic Safety Violations [in Chinese] (Ministry of Public Security Order No. 163), Article 11: violations that earn 3 points at a time include "(6) driving a motor vehicle while making or answering a hand-held phone call or otherwise interfering with safe driving" and "(14) driving a cargo vehicle continuously for more than 4 hours without stopping to rest, or stopping to rest for less than 20 minutes"
7. Article 9: violations that earn 9 points at a time include "(7) driving a medium or larger passenger vehicle or a hazardous-materials transport vehicle continuously for more than 4 hours without stopping to rest, or stopping to rest for less than 20 minutes". http://www.gov.cn/gongbao/content/2022/content_5679697.htm

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 1, tip 9. This section is about health and medicines. It is general information, not a substitute for a doctor’s diagnosis or prescription. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer