Drowsy Driving - The Silent Killer on the Road!

AVOID DROWSY DRIVING - STAY ALERT & STAY ALIVE!

Falling asleep at the wheel happens all to often on our roads, with terrifying consequences. Even if you don't go so far as to actually fall asleep behind the wheel, driving when you are drowsy means that your concentration and risk perception are impaired, so you're more likely to have an accident. Sleep deprivation slows reactions to stimuli, decreases accuracy of responses, and leads to long lapses in attention.

Drowsy driving is the dangerous combination of driving and sleepiness or fatigue. Drive alert and stay unhurt. Learn the risks of drowsy driving and how to protect yourself.

The warning signs of drowsyness are:
- Difficulty focusing
- Yawning repeatedly or rubbing your eyes
- Frequent blinking or heavy eyelids
- Trouble remembering the past few miles driven
- Missing your exit or traffic signs
- Drifting from your lane
- Daydreaming; wandering or disconnected thoughts
- Trouble keeping your head up
- If you are driving at night and lights start to blur. - Feeling restless and irritable
- Tailgating or not maintaining a safe following distance
- Hitting a rumble strip on the side of the road

Commercial driving is demanding job! A commercial driver must not be tired or drowsy while operating a motor vehicle. Unfortunately, many accidents occur because drivers are not alert or fall asleep at the wheel. It is absolutely vital that drivers remain awake and alert when behind the wheel in order to drive safely and avoid accidents.

The risk, danger, and often tragic results of drowsy driving are alarming. Drowsy driving usually happens when a driver has not slept enough, but it can also happen due to untreated sleep disorders, medications, drinking alcohol, or shift work.

Sleep is the only true preventative measure against the risks of drowsy driving. Make it a priority to get 7-8 hours of sleep per night.

Although sleepiness can affect all types of crashes during the entire day and night, drowsy-driving crashes most frequently occur between midnight and 6 a.m., or in the late-afternoon – both times when there are dips in your circadian rhythm (the internal human body clock that regulates sleep).

Falling asleep at the wheel is clearly dangerous, but being sleepy affects your ability to drive safely even if you don't fall asleep. Drowsiness makes drivers less able to pay attention to the road; slows their reaction time if they have to brake or steer suddenly; affects a driver's ability to make good decisions.

Tips to avoid drowsy driving crashes:
- Before the start of a long trip, make it a priority to get 7-8 hours of sleep.
- Avoid drinking any alcohol before driving. Consumption of alcohol interacts with sleepiness and increase drowsiness and impairment.
- Don't take any medications that may induce drowsiness. If you have to take medications that could cause drowsiness as a side effect, use it before you go to bed. Remember that drugs and alcohol can stay in your system for a long time.
- When possible, avoid driving during the peak sleepiness periods (midnight – 6 a.m. and late afternoon).
- Drink plenty of water or some other refreshing non-alcoholic drink to avoid dehydration, as dehydration can make you feel lethargic on long journeys. - If you must drive during the peak sleepiness periods, keeping careful watch for possible signs of drowsiness.
- Try to use short-term interventions (like drinking coffee or energy drinks) in combination with short 30-minute nap in a lighted safe place. This has been shown to increase alertness in scientific studies but only for short time periods. If you are seriously sleep-deprived, you still may have "micro sleeps" or brief losses of consciousness that can last for four or five seconds, which is plenty of time to cause a crash. Keep in mind that energy drinks and coffee alone are not enough.

DID YOU KNOW?

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety research has estimated that 7% of all crashes in which a vehicle was towed from a scene, 13% of all crashes that result in hospital admission, and 16-21% of all fatal crashes involve a drowsy driver.

Experts recommend that healthy adults should sleep for at least 7 hours daily. The results of the Accute Sleep Deprivation Study indicate that drivers who usually sleep for less than 5 hours daily, drivers who have slept for less than 7 hours in the past 24 hours, and drivers who have slept for 1 or more hours less than their usual amount of sleep in the past 24 hours have significantly elevated crash rates.

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A National Sleep Foundation consensus working group concluded that individuals who have slept 2 hours or less within a 24-hour period are not fit to operate a vehicle; vehicle; the results of this current study support that recommendation, and further suggest that individuals who have slept for less than 4 or 5 hours in the past 24 hours are likely to be substantially impaired.

The estimated crash risk associated with driving after only 4-5 hours of sleep compared with 7 hours or more is similar to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s estimates of the crash risk associated with driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) equal to or slightly over the legal limit for alcohol in the US (0.08), and the crash risk associated with having slept less than 4 hours of sleep is comparable to the crash risk associated with a BAC of roughly 0.12-0.15.

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Research conducted in 2012 by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety shows that crash-involved drivers ages 16-24 were nearly twice as likely to be drowsy at the time of their crash in comparison to drivers ages 40-59. Drivers age 24 and younger were most likely to report having fallen asleep at the wheel in the past year, and they were least likely to report having never fallen asleep at the wheel. This is consistent with other studies that have found younger drivers to have a higher risk of falling asleep at the wheel.

DROWSY DRIVING STRATEGIC RESEARCH & PROGRAM PLAN

According to NHTSA Drowsy Driving Research & Program Plan sleepiness is an inescapable biological phenomenon that has drastic effects on the mind and body. Whether sleepiness is caused by sleep restriction due to a baby crying all night, a late shift at work, a teenager staying up all night with friends, health issues such as sleep apnea and medications, or our natural circadian rhythm – the negative outcomes can be the same. Most importantly, the longer someone remains awake, the more probable the negative outcomes become. Sleepiness, without fail, results in cognitive and behavioral changes that can contribute to diverse negative outcomes including automobile crashes, poor school performance, accidents at work, and other long-term physical and mental health consequences.

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