THERE cannot be many drivers who can honestly claim they have never found themselves fighting the urge to doze momentarily while driving on a motorway.

The experience, and the thought of what might have happened, is frightening as is the sensation of shock if you run onto the noise strips between the inside lane and the hard shoulder.

But according to Lancashire police ,our ever more frantic lifestyles mean such "micronapping" is causing a growing number of serious crashes on the M65 and other motorways.

In the past 11 months alone 33 accidents have been blamed on people snoozing at the wheel on the M65 and police reckon that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Although it is dangerous to doze anywhere while driving, obviously losing concentration for a few microseconds when you are hurtling along a busy motorway at 70mph is likely to have far more horrifying consequences than if you are travelling at 30mph on a quiet road.

Continental motorways have layby areas where motorists can just pull up and walk in the fresh air to wake themselves up enough to continue their journey.

We all have a duty to other motorists to ensure that we stop driving and take a break as soon as we feel ourselves drifting towards a potential disaster.