The survey of 1,176 healthcare professionals by Doctors.net.uk, the UK's largest professional online network for doctors, found that 71% have either fallen asleep or come close to falling asleep while driving home after night duty, highlighting the scale of fatigue associated with overnight clinical work.

Respondents identified extended shift duration, missed or limited breaks, poor daytime sleep quality, transitions between shift patterns and cognitive load from overnight clinical decision-making as key contributors to fatigue.

The dataset includes self-reported incidents involving vehicle damage and personal injury, as well as awareness of colleagues injured in road traffic accidents following night shifts, suggesting commuting risk may represent a wider occupational safety consideration within secondary care.

In total, 86% of respondents rated post-night shift fatigue as a significant safety issue for doctors.

Doctors.net.uk said: ‘These findings suggest fatigue linked to overnight shift work may represent an under-recognised occupational safety issue extending beyond the clinical environment into doctors' daily commutes.'