Drowsy driving results in a significant share of fatal accidents, reports the AAA Foundation.
If you’ve ever started to nod off while driving but continued pressing on you’re not alone, according to a new study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Two of every five drivers admit they have fallen asleep behind the wheel at one point or another.
And even though 85% of American motorists contend it is “completely unacceptable” to drive when you’re so tired you can’t keep your eyes open, a quarter of those surveyed have driven in such a situation.
Unfortunately, the foundation contends, most drivers don’t realize the effects of fatigue on their driving abilities.
“When you are behind the wheel of a car, being sleepy is very dangerous. Sleepiness decreases awareness, slows reaction time, and impairs judgment, just like drugs or alcohol, contributing to the possibility of a crash,” said AAA Foundation President and CEO Peter Kissinger. “We need to change the culture so that not only will drivers recognize the dangers of driving while drowsy but will stop doing it.”
New research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration underscores the risk of driving while drowsy – and actually reveals that it can be more deadly than previously believed.
One in six deadly crashes involves at least one drowsy driver, while the number is one in eight crashes that sends someone to the hospital. And one in 14 crashes that results in a car being towed involves a drowsy driver.
Danny Cloud, CEO of the National Sleep Foundation, finds the latest AAA Foundation data “shocking to consider. The NSF has been pushing for more awareness of the drowsy driving problem since 1991.
AAA says symptoms of drowsy driving include:
- Having trouble keeping your eyes open and focused;
- The inability to keep your head up;
- Daydreaming or having wandering, disconnected thoughts; and
- Drifting from your lane or off the road, or tailgating.
The organization suggests getting a good night’s sleep before a long drive, taking a break every two hours or 100 miles, traveling during the hours you are normally awake and pulling over to rest if you start feeling drowsy.
Meanwhile, a number of automakers, including both Lexus and Mercedes-Benz, have been developing technologies designed to detect and warn a driver who is showing signs of becoming sleepy behind the wheel.