Drivers who slept for less than five hours are four times more likely to crash, study finds

9newDrivers who get less than five hours of sleep at night are four times more likely to crash, new data has showed.

Traffic Accident Commission and Monash University researchers have found five hours is the tipping point after testing sleepy drivers on a track.

"People are struggling to stay awake, they're not responding quickly, they may not stay within the laneways," professor Clare Anderson said.

READ MORE: SA police launch unusual campaign to combat distracted driving

But for one in 10 Australians, five hours of sleep is an average night.

"You need at least five hours to be a safe good driver," executive general manager of road safety Samantha Cockfield said.

"Actually the crash risk is potentially higher than if you've had no sleep at all than if at .05 alcohol level," researcher Jessica Manousakis said.

Driving tired contributes to up to 20 per cent of fatal crashes in Victoria every year and accounts for one quarter of road trauma injuries at The Alfred and Royal Melbourne hospitals.

The TAC have consequently launched a new campaign to target drowsy drivers with the slogan: "Driving tired? Wake up to yourself."