TIRED doctors are putting lives at risk on the roads at the end of draining 30-hour shifts.

Junior doctors also claim that over-tired doctors are unfit to treat patients and fear that without proper breaks, mistakes will put patient's lives at risk.

Doctors are callilng on the Department of Health to provide taxis or proper on-site accommodation so exhausted medics are not forced to put lives on the line.

They fear another disaster like the Selby rail crash where 10 people died after builder Gary Hart fell asleep at his wheel and veered on to a railway line.

Despite a Government pledge to reduce hours worked, most juniors in the north are still facing 72-hour working weeks, including a 30 our shift every five days.

They believe patients are at risk from tired doctors and are asking to be exempt from responsiblity for mistakes made when working over a 56-hour week.

Dr Emma Bywaters, a senior house officer at City Hospitals, Sunderland, and a member of the British Medical Association's Junior Doctor's Committee, said; "This is partly about providing transport or accommodation for those doctors who are so tired they a danger to themselves and others on the roads.

"But it is also about protecting patients."

She added: "If at 5pm after a 30-hour shift a junior doctor is unfit to drive home then are they really fit to be treating a patient - prescribing drugs or dealing with an emergency - at 4.30pm?

"It stands to reason that mistakes are more likely to be made when a doctor is tried and this is an issue we really feel needs to be properly addressed."

A spokesman for the Cumbrian junior doctor's committee said: "If someone can be found guilty for driving while deprived of sleep then the implications for all NHS staff working long shifts overnight and caring for sick patients the next day are worrying."

The concerns are due to be addressed by a Junior Doctor's conference where motions have been put forward by regional JDCs about sleep deprivation and the implications of the Selby disaster.

The North doctors' proposals include that where a trust has failed to implement new working patterns which reduce the risks, the trainee doctor is not held repsonsible for any adverse clinical incidents.

In November 2000, the Government brought in tough new penalties for trusts where junior doctors were working more than 56 hours a week, fully enforceable by the end of this year.

Hospitals that do not comply could lose the accreditation which allows them to appoint new junior doctors.

But a spokesman for the BMA said that despite the Government's action, many juniors were still working excessively long hours without a break.

"This benefits no one, putting the health of the patient as well as the doctor at risk," he said.

"Junior doctors have traditionally been made to work excessive hours and, although things are gradually improving, there is still a long way to go."

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said the latest investment of money into the NHS would increase the number of doctors in hospitals, easing the pressures on staff.

"Delivering better care for patients is unquestionable linked to delivering better care for the NHS staff.

"International recruitment will provide a short-term solution and the benefits in an ancrease in medical training places - particularly on the hours worked by junior doctors - will be seen over the next few years.

"The nature of doctors' workloads is changing as nurses and other healthcare professionals expand their role."