Asleep At The Wheel
Dangers of Driving While Drowsy
Sleep is an essential function of the human body. The lack of sleep impairs our work performance, affects our mood and behavior and our cognitive abilities. According to Mark R. Rosekind, Ph.D., President and Chief Scientist of Alertness Solutions, most people get about an hour and a half less sleep than they actually need. When you lose sleep you build a cumulative sleep debt. What that means is if you are getting one and a half hours less sleep a night than what you need over a five-day work week, then you are going into the weekend seven and a half hours in the red. It’s like you stayed up one whole night!
So why aren’t we going to bed and getting the rest we need? We live in a 24-hour/7 day a week society. According to Dr. Rosekind, “Every segment of our culture is now working around the clock: health care, transportation, public safety, technology, economics and banking, convenience stores and gas stations.” Now with the Internet and 24-hour phone service, more and more people are shopping and conducting business around the clock. A high school marquee sums up the personal mantra of many; “Sleep is for Slackers!”
What are the consequences of holding a sleep debt? You know the feeling; you read the same paragraph for the third time and you still don’t know what you read, you forget things that were just said to you, you are a little more impatient in your conversations, you are a little moodier and angrier or more upset than you would normally be, or your decision-making is way off base. When you are behind the wheel of a car, the consequences of a sleep debt can be fatal.
Estimates suggest that there are at least 100,000 traffic accidents each year in the U.S. and that 20% of those accidents are caused by drowsy drivers. That’s 71,000 people who are injured after falling asleep at the wheel and crashing. Of those accidents, at least 1,500 involve fatalities. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducted a national telephone survey in 2002. The following are some of the results discovered by the researchers:
- 37% reported nodding off while driving at some time in their lives.
- 49% male drivers reported falling asleep at the wheel more often than female drivers (26%).
- 44% of all drivers involved in a DWT related crashes are in their mid-20s.
- 28% reported that their drowsy driving experience occurred between midnight and 6:00 am.
- 47% had been on the road for an hour or less.
- 33% reported getting at least 7 hours of sleep the night before (24% reported 4 or fewer hours.)
How can you tell if you are too tired to drive safely? There are signs of impending sleep while driving, but many drivers are either unaware of them or choose to ignore them. They include repeated yawning, a sensation of heavy eyelids, difficulty focusing your eyes, trouble keeping your head up, daydreaming or having disconnected thoughts, drifting over the center line or too close to the shoulder of the road, inability to remember the last few miles, missing traffic signs or finding yourself tailgating.
The coming of the holiday season adds to the risk that more people will be driving while tired. The demands and stresses of holiday preparations and activities, like shopping, cooking, cleaning, traveling, hosting houseguests, attending dinners and parties with heavy meals and alcohol, added to the day-to-day sleep disrupters like school, work, and family obligations, take an additional toll on our over-extended sleep debt.
How can we combat drowsy driving? First of all, stop cheating on your sleep! Be honest with yourself on how much sleep you really need. Most of us really do need a full eight hours a night. Here are some tips for getting a restful night’s sleep:
- Make sleep a priority – Set a realistic bedtime and keep it!
- Develop a comforting pre-sleep routine – Set your alarm clock, or read briefly before turning out the light.
- Avoid alcohol, caffeine and exercise a few hours before your bedtime.
- Don’t eat or drink a lot before going to bed.
- Create a soothing sleep environment - Keep your bedroom for sleep — leave work and worry on the other side of the door.
If you’re already on the road, try the following strategies:
Jumpstart with a nap — Napping reverses sleepiness instead of masking it like caffeine and other strategies. If you are planning a long driving trip, schedule planned naps. A nap of 45 minute or less will refresh you without you waking up groggy or disoriented. Choose a private location, take precautions to maximize your security and use items such as a pillow or eye mask to make yourself comfortable.
Fill your tank with caffeine — By using caffeine strategically, you can maximize its benefits. Take caffeine in anticipation of when you’ll be tired. Caffeine becomes effective with 15-30 minutes and can last three to four hours. People have different sensitivity and tolerance to caffeine. Make sure you know how caffeine affects you and how you can best use it.
Switch gears — Stretch in your seat, chew gum, roll down the window, sing along to the radio — Anything that gets you moving or changes your environment can temporarily help you to stay alert until you can try a longer-acting strategy, such as a nap or caffeine.
A lively conversation — with another passenger in the car or using a hands-free phone can help keep you alert. Don’t just listen, but actively take part.
Test-drive your strategy — Before you get on the road, test your strategies. How much caffeine do you need to recharge yourself? What sort of an environment to do you need to take a nap? How long of a nap do you need? Does conversation work for you? Will another person be accompanying you on the trip? When you know the strategies you can count on, you’ll be on the road to safer driving.
Remember, it’s not how long it takes to get to your destination, it’s getting to your destination safely.
Check out the following websites for additional information on driving while drowsy:
Alertness Solutions: http://www.alertnesssolutions.com
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/drowsy_driving1/index.html
National Sleep Foundation: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/activities/daaamain.cfm
Reproduced from "The D.I.A.C. Monitor" (Winter 2004 Issue) by Driver Improvement Association of California (DIAC)
Disclaimer: The information presented on this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice. We are not attorneys and we encourage you to seek legal advice regarding your individual legal issues.
The Administrative Procedure Act (APA) found in California Government Code Sections 11400 through 11528, and CVC Sections 14100 through 14112 govern Driver Safety hearings conducted by DMV.