New Zealand’s most dangerous time to be driving has been revealed in a new report, just as parents prepare to return to their routine of school drop-offs.

Last year’s AutoSense Guardian New Zealand Insights Report found accidents related to driver fatigue were most likely to happen between 7am and 8am, right around the time children begin heading to school.

Fatigue consultant Katrina Aubrey said “the 7 to 8 am window sits within a well-known low point in alertness”, increasing the risk of microsleep incidents.

“When that vulnerability overlaps with the school run - higher traffic, time pressure, children and buses - even brief lapses in attention can carry serious risk.”

The fatigue risk is also high between 4 am and 10 am, the period when families and professional drivers are typically sharing the roads.

Drawn from the almost 6000 Guardian by Seeing Machines that have been installed in commercial vehicles, the new data shows the effect of seasonal physiological patterns.

Fatigue spikes during the wintry months of August to September, and is at its lowest in January to February, while Tuesdays tend to be the day most microsleep incidents occur.

More than 900,000 risky driving events were recorded by the driver safety advocacy group between July 2024 and June 2025, 19,336 of which were related to fatigue.

Dylan Thomsen, a spokesperson for AA, said tired driving needed to be treated as seriously as drunk driving or distracted driving.

“Past research from the AA found about half of fatal crashes involved people recklessly breaking the rules but half involved people simply making a mistake - with distraction or fatigue likely to be involved.”

AutoSense CEO Charles Dawson says the new data reflects the human risk of fatigue. Photo / AutoSense

The authorities can lead this response by emphasising the dangers and warning signs of tiredness, Thomsen suggests.

“Too many drivers underestimate how fatigue slows their reactions and affects their judgement, and there isn’t enough public awareness about those risks.”

New Zealand Police said they encourage safe driving at all times as part of their road safety campaign.

“This includes ensuring you are not impaired by fatigue, alcohol or drugs, that you are alert and free from distraction, driving at a safe speed within the speed limit and ensuring everyone is properly restrained in a seatbelt or child car seat.”

Distraction caused more than 51,000 of the risky driving events, one in four of which was related to the use of a mobile phone.

This was why human intervention was a crucial safety mechanism, AutoSense CEO Charles Dawson said.

The company has made more than 14,000 intervention calls in the last year, behind each of which “is a person with a family waiting for them at home”.

“If we can reduce fatigue and distraction during the most routine moments - like the morning school run - then we’re doing something that genuinely matters: helping drivers, and everyone around them, get home safely.”