Research
Mixed
Night shift work is associated with a significantly higher risk of single-vehicle accidents, particularly in the early morning hours, due to fatigue-induced performance lapses.
Driving or operating machinery during the early morning hours (e.g., 2 AM - 5 AM) after a night shift carries a high risk of accident due to fatigue. If possible, avoid driving immediately after a night shift or ensure adequate rest before operating vehicles.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Harris (46) and Hamelin (47,48) convincingly demonstrated that single vehicle accidents have, by far, the greatest probability of occurring at night (early morning) . Most of these accidents are thought to be due to sleepiness.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple studies on truck drivers and air transport accidents.
Source
Psychological and psychophysiological effects of shift work.
Torbjörn Åkerstedt · Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment & Health · 1990
DOI 10.5271/sjweh.1819
narrative_reviewCited 296×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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