Peer-reviewed article
Fatigue and Driving Safety in Early Parenthood: Developing Feasible Risk-Reduction Strategies Through Co-Design.
Sprajcer M, Kovac K, Thomas MJW, Ferguson SA, Gupta CC et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This peer-reviewed study examines fatigue and driving safety among parents of young children through a participatory co-design process. Researchers worked with 14 parents to develop educational resources addressing the challenges of fatigued driving during early parenthood. The study resulted in a website and infographics designed to help parents make safer driving decisions when tired. While the resources were developed based on parent input, the study does not evaluate whether these materials actually improve safety outcomes.
Key points
- Early parenthood involves chronic sleep disruption and constrained ability to avoid fatigued driving, yet few practical resources exist to support this population
- Parents prioritised content on recognising fatigue, making safer driving decisions when tired, and identifying feasible fatigue-reduction strategies within the constraints of early parenthood
- Participants emphasised the need for brief, easy-to-digest educational materials
- Co-design process resulted in development of a website and seven infographics
- Authors acknowledge that evaluation is needed to understand effectiveness in real-world contexts
Limitations
This study focuses on resource development through co-design rather than evaluating the effectiveness or impact of the resulting materials. The small sample size (14 parents) and lack of outcome measurement means we cannot determine whether the resources actually reduce fatigue-related driving incidents or improve safety behaviours.
Abstract
Issue addressed Fatigue-related driving guidance typically assumes that individuals have sufficient control over sleep and travel decisions to implement recommended strategies. Early parenthood represents a critical exception, characterised by chronic sleep disruption and constrained capacity to avoid driving while fatigued. Despite this, there are limited practical resources available to support safer decision-making in this population. Methods Using a participatory design approach grounded in co-design principles and aligned with the Double Diamond framework, 14 parents of children aged ≤ 5 years completed a workshop and a subsequent survey. This process aimed to inform the co-design of educational resources for new parents by examining experiences of fatigue and fatigued driving, the feasibility of common fatigue management strategies, and preferences for content, format, and delivery of driving safety resources. Results Parents shaped the key content areas, emphasising recognising fatigue, making safer driving decisions when tired, and identifying proactive strategies to reduce fatigue risk that were feasible within the constraints of early parenthood. Participants highlighted the importance of creating brief, easy-to-digest materials. Insights informed the development of a dedicated website (www.safedrivingforparents.com) and seven infographics centred on key domains identified by participants. Conclusions These resources represent an important initial step toward a broader, scalable educational approach that could be delivered in partnership with health services and road safety organisations; however, evaluation is needed to understand their effectiveness in real-world contexts. SO WHAT?: These findings highlight the need for health promotion approaches that prioritise feasible risk-reduction strategies in populations with limited control over sleep and travel demands.