Driving While Drowsy – Avoidable but All Too Common

Driving While Drowsy – Avoidable but All Too Common

Many busy teenagers do not get the recommended amount of sleep. As a result, we drive when we are tired. Driving while drowsy has had its direct impacts on me, as I have had to drive from my home to school for the past two years, which takes 30 minutes each way. Any student can tell you, there has been mornings where they are late, tired, frustrated, stressed, and everything in between. For me, it was my meditative time to have a break from all my work, school, and chaos of normal life. When I was taking my drivers ed course, I never could have imagined how valuable my single hour each day would be, and how much freedom I would enjoy.

I take the same route to and from school, leading me to almost function on autopilot the moment I pull out of the school parking lot. One day, during gentle rain showers, I began my drive back home to finish a project which was due the next morning. My tense shoulders were symptomatic of a larger problem, as I had not slept in over 24 hours. Eager to get to my bed, I drove on the highway toward a stale green light, but it quickly turned yellow. I slammed on my breaks, fearing I might run a red light, and my car fishtailed while the cars far behind me looked on with confusion. My tired mind combined with autopilot almost resulted in me getting in an accident, and from then on I avoid driving at all costs when sleepy or drowsy.

I credit my ability to feel comfortable driving in all environments to the extensive amount of Driver’s Permit hours and my study of my online drivers ed course. If I had not done each component of my courses, and had not fulfilled my requirements, I would not have had the skills or the knowledge to turn my wheel to avoid a collision or to understand how to navigate my anti-lock brakes. With the proper completion of drivers ed, our population can reduce the number of deaths and injuries by simply solidifying their knowledge of the rules of the road and the safest driving practices.

Since the root of the problem is lack of sleep, the first step to ensure safety is simply to prioritize sleep more and ensure a restful night before I need to drive. This is the best step to take, but not the most realistic one for a teenager with a rigorous school schedule and extracurriculars running late into the evening. The best step to take is creating a carpool system, to ensure you are not driving while drowsy, or to give you the opportunity to relieve a friend of driving with insufficient sleep. This way, I know I can stay awake working later if I am not driving the next morning. The responsibility to keep others safe is coupled with our freedom, and drivers ed is paramount in keeping our roads safe.