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Alcohol, caffeine and lack of sleep impact on reaction times, finds test

Developed by the JustPark online parking service, the game records drivers’ reaction times and guesses their age by how quickly, or slowly they react when asked to perform an emergency stop.

Tested on 2,000 people of all ages, the game has found that:

  • Reaction time of regular drivers is 10% faster than that of non-drivers
  • People who slept eight hours the night before the survey reported the fastest reaction times, up to 20% faster than those who slept less
  • Overall, people who have a driver's licence reacted 8% faster than those without one
  • Reaction time gets better with driving experience: drivers with 1-2 years of driving experience reported a 27% faster reaction time than those who had a driver's licence for less than a year
  • People with higher levels of alcohol consumption reported slower reaction times – up to 20% slower
  • People who drink more tea and coffee are slower to react by as much as 7%
  • The reaction time of left-handers is 13% faster than that of right-handed people
  • Men demonstrated reaction times that were on average 0.02ms or 5% faster than women's.
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Natalie Middleton

Natalie has worked as a fleet journalist for over 20 years, previously as assistant editor on the former Company Car magazine before joining Fleet World in 2006. Prior to this, she worked on a range of B2B titles, including Insurance Age and Insurance Day.