Driving Drowsy Is Unsafe, Dangerous
According to National Sleep Foundation

by Barb Patzer

"You're sitting there driving; you're comfortable; the stereo's on;
you don't realize you're falling asleep; it's scary."

Nearly one in five drivers dozed off at the wheel last year. If that statistic puts a guilty knot in your stomach, you're not alone.

According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), over half of the nation's adults (62 percent) admit to driving while drowsy.

Even more alarming than that, nearly one-quarter of 18-29 year-olds surveyed report that they have actually fallen asleep at the wheel at some point during the past year.

Most people are well aware of the danger posed by drunk drivers, but tired drivers may be an even more dangerous problem on the road today. A tired driver's response time and accuracy may be even more impaired than someone who has had a few drinks.

"Driving while drowsy is no different than driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs," says Richard Gelula, NSF's executive director, in an article on the organization's webpage. "Sleepiness slows reaction time, decreases awareness and impairs judgment."

When asked, it seems that most people will admit to having at least one story to tell about driving on little or no sleep.

"It's scary," says Kate Mathews a 22-year-old waitress. "I've been drunk to the point where I can't drive, but I think it's worse when you haven't had enough sleep. Your mind wanders so easily. When you're tired, you don't realize there's that much risk. You're sitting there driving; you're comfortable; the stereo's on; you don't realize you're falling asleep; it's scary."

The National Sleep Foundation conducted a test to compare the effects of drowsy driving with the effects of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Researchers from the NSF measured response times and accuracy in test subjects after being sleep deprived for up to 28 hours and after consuming alcohol up to a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.1 percent, which is the limit in most states to be considered "intoxicated."

Results of the test show that after as few as 17-19 hours without sleep, the performance on some of the tests was equivalent or worse than the performance of a person with a BAC of 0.05 percent, which is the limit in most states for being considered "ability impaired."

Response times of the sleep-deprived subjects were up to 50 percent slower, and accuracy results were significantly poorer than those of the test subjects who consumed the alcohol.

To put 17 hours without sleep into perspective, if you wake up at 6 a.m. and go to sleep at 11 p.m., you will have been awake for 17 hours.

Taking into account that many people also go out late at night to movies, bars and dancing and after that may go to a restaurant for a bite to eat, you can see that they could easily be up for 20 hours or more.

After longer periods without sleep, performance levels of the sleep-deprived test subjects dropped to the same level as test subjects who had a BAC of 0.1 percent and were legally intoxicated.

Kate has been known to pull "all-nighters" on occasion. As a waitress in a coffee shop, her day starts at 6 a.m. "When we were short-staffed, I had to work seven days a week. I'd go out at night and be out until two in the morning, and then I'd stay up and hang out with my friends until I had to go to work the next morning. It's weird; it's like you're in a fog. I'd pour milk and have to remind myself what I was doing."

According to a publication from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, if you feel drowsy during the day, even during activities that would normally keep you awake, you haven't had enough sleep. If you fall asleep within five minutes of lying down, you probably have severe sleep deprivation or possibly even a sleep disorder.

Jack Ricci, a 48-year-old communications technician from Ontario, Canada, knows all too well what it's like to drive without enough sleep. In an e-mail interview he said, "Working long hours and rotating shifts was bad enough, but what almost killed me when I was younger was the two hours of driving 80 miles round-trip to and from work everyday for two years. I was always feeling tired, stressed and sleepy. I had many near misses, and I was even pulled over several times because I was weaving down the road. I was just tired."

Sleep-related crashes are most common in young people who tend to stay up late, sleep too little and drive at night. The NSF says that 55 percent of fall-asleep crashes involved people who were 25 years old or younger. Driver fatigue was most likely to occur between the hours of midnight and 8 a.m.

Kelly Wirsching is a 19-year-old freshman in college. Trying to juggle her schoolwork, a part-time job and a boyfriend often means cutting into her valuable sleep time. "Yeah, I don't get near enough sleep as I should. Sometimes I wouldn't get to sleep until one or two in the morning. I remember driving home one night from my boyfriend's house to my house, but I don't really remember most of it."

Technically, Kelly was asleep at the wheel.

Brief episodes of sleep in an otherwise awake person are called microsleeps. Most people who experience microsleeps aren't even aware they are happening. They are another symptom of sleep deprivation.

"The only time it bothers me is when I'm out of town," admits 24-year-old Dan Jameson when asked about driving while drowsy. "I've felt myself getting tired and actually had to think about opening my eyes."

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that approximately one million crashes annually involve drowsiness and fatigue as the major cause.

Montana Highway Patrol Officer Tom Taylor says, "Sleep deprivation is the worst enemy on the highway; it's the biggest cause of rollovers. People fall asleep because they simply don't get enough rest before driving."

One of the worst cases of driver fatigue Taylor has seen involved an accident on I-90. The driver was a young man who had a very successful business videotaping weddings. Business was so good that he had worked three events, back to back, and was on his way to his fourth event, having been awake for more that 48 hours. Driving at highway speed, the young man fell asleep and rolled his car seven times.

"He was lucky he was wearing his seatbelt and wasn't killed," Taylor added.

Sleep deprivation affects people of all ages, not just young adults.

"It doesn't know an age," says Taylor. "I've seen it affect 22-year-old lawyers and 69-year-old men. When you deprive your body of the sleep it needs, you are going to fall asleep."

There are steps that each of us can take to prevent sleep deprivation and eliminate the danger to ourselves and to others.

Prevention

The NSF suggests that before you get behind the wheel of your vehicle you should:

	Get a good night's sleep. While this varies from person to person, the average person needs about eight hours of sleep a night.
	Plan to drive with a friend. Passengers can watch for early signs of fatigue and can share driving time. Passengers should stay awake to talk to the driver.
	Schedule regular rest stops every 100 miles or two hours.

Actions for the Drowsy Driver

Once driving, motorists should:

	Look for the warning signs of fatigue:
	...Drivers who:
	can't remember the last few miles driven
	drift in and out of their lane or hit the rumble strip
	experience wandering or disconnected thoughts
	yawn repeatedly
	have difficulty focusing or keeping their eyes open
	tailgate or miss traffic signs
	have trouble keeping their head up

	Recognize that they are in danger of falling asleep and can't predict microsleeps
	Not count on the radio or an open window to keep them awake
	Recognize and respond to fatigue symptoms, and take action
	Pull off in a safe area and take a nap

Officer Taylor had a few suggestions for drivers' safety. "Get some fresh air or get some sleep - even if it's only 20 minutes. Pull over in a well-lit area but not in a rest stop; lock your doors and windows, and go to sleep. I've made routine stops to check vehicles by the road and have come up to the car and saw that the driver was sleeping and just left them to sleep."

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For more information please visit the:

National Sleep Foundation