An analysis of more than 3 million dangerous driving events by commercial drivers worldwide found that early-morning fatigue risk is universal, and that distracted driving is more frequent during the daytime.
The Guardian Insights Report from Seeing Machines draws on data from 58,476 vehicles across 4,516 commercial fleets worldwide. The 3 million risky events covered more than 2.2 billion miles (3.7 billion km) of driving between October 2024 and September 2025. Based in Australia, Seeing Machines develops technology that monitors driver fatigue and distraction.
“Nearly all regions demonstrated incredibly similar daily timing profiles for both fatigue and distraction events,” the report said. “The stability of these patterns presents a significant opportunity for fleet operators to design targeted interventions around known high-risk periods.”
The analysis found that fatigue events consistently peak in the early hours of the morning, typically between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., which “underscores the predictability of circadian-related fatigue risk.” There is also clear evidence that fatigue risks are higher on Saturdays and Sundays, which could reflect irregular sleep patterns and operational pressures associated with higher weekend demand.
“These influences can compound fatigue risk, even when overall driving hours remain within legal limits,” the report concluded.
Driver distraction tends to be higher during the daytime, with most regions showing peak levels in the morning. And while almost every region saw a decrease in distraction from cell phone use compared with prior periods, distraction from other sources is increasing.
Within North America, total distracted-driving events increased by 37%, even as distraction attributed to cell phone use declined. Distracted events were most common around 8 a.m. and were higher in warmer months than in colder months. There was also a 30% reduction in fatigue events, with fatigue peaking near 4 a.m. Saturday was by far the day with the most fatigue events in North America.
What exactly is a fatigued or distracted driving event?
Seeing Machines classifies fatigue events as either microsleep, drowsiness, or yawning. A threshold of 1.5 seconds is used to detect microsleep. Frequent indicators are uncontrolled eye closures and head bobs.
Drowsiness events include when a driver’s eye closures occur more slowly or more frequently, and when a driver struggles to remain attentive to the road.
Examples of confirmed distraction events are long glances away from the road for at least four seconds and mobile device use. It also includes situations where the driver does not have complete control of the vehicle, such as interference from another vehicle occupant or when both hands are off the wheel.
“A threshold of four seconds strikes a balance between safety and driver experience, and targets distracted behavior that is more likely non-driving related,” the report said.
Seeing Machines recommended that fleets look for patterns of fatigue and distracted driving across specific routes, schedules, and peak-congestion periods. That can help to guide driver-coaching strategies or lead to scheduling adjustments that could boost safety and save lives.
