Drowsy Driving

Mortality is a foreign concept until it is imminent, especially for new drivers. Many may not realize the sheer power of operating a piece of metal machinery moving at amazing speeds.

I realized it one late afternoon as I sat in the backseat of a minivan travelling down the highway. My mom was nodding off and my jetlagged dad blinked furiously in an attempt to keep himself awake. I, too, was determined to stay awake after a 14-hour flight so I could let my dad know if he was veering out of his lane or warn him of sudden changes in traffic ahead. My family and I eventually made it home safe, but as I gained experience as a driver I became aware of something that commonly impairs driving but is seldom given treatment in drivers ed classes: sleep deprivation.

Delayed reaction time, inattentiveness, and impaired decision-making are hallmarks of a drowsy driver.¹ In fact, loss of sleep affects driving to the same degree as alcohol consumption. For example, having only six hours of sleep (opposed to the normal 8-hours) is the equivalent of having three beers². Sleep deprivation is so common that it affects about one-third of American adults³ and two-thirds of American teenagers.⁴ Add to that the inexperience of new drivers (most often adolescents) who are more likely to underestimate dangerous situations and drowsy driving becomes a real problem.

Admittedly, there are circumstances beyond one’s control. My family occasionally had to drive home from the airport after a long flight across multiple time zones and I have spent many mornings driving to school after waking up at 5:45 AM with a foggy head. However, people should at least be educated how much this common but underpublicized problem can affect driving performance. A fatigued driver is three times more likely to be in a car crash,² and in fact 328,000 estimated crashes caused by drowsy driving occur every year.⁵ Students are taught to not drive distracted or under the influence of drugs and alcohol, so why not be taught against drowsy driving?

Awareness is key. Nodding off, missing turns and exits, drifting from the lane, frequent yawning, or difficulty maintaining the same speed are all signs of drowsy driving. Taking steps, such as pulling over and taking a short nap, switching drivers after more than two hours driving without rest, can prevent drowsy driving.⁵ Being aware of sleep disorders (such as sleep apnea or insomnia) and avoiding driving at night can decrease the risk of drowsy driving crashes, as does relying on caffeinated drinks for short-term alertness. Even reading medication labels, which may read “do not operate heavy machinery” (which includes vehicles), can forewarn drowsiness at the wheel.⁶ Or simply getting more sleep and being in tune with one’s own mental state can save lives.

Undoubtedly, encouraging healthy habits through drivers ed can go a long way in preventing such accidents. Awareness and prevention when it comes to drowsy driving helps ensure it does not have the last word in the driver’s seat.

1https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/drowsy_driving.html

2 https://www.nsc.org/road-safety/tools-resources/infographics/drowsy-driving

3. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p0215-enough-sleep.html

4 https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/data_statistics.html

5 https://www.nsc.org/road-safety/safety-topics/fatigued-driving#:~:text=According%20t%

20the%20National%20Highway,1%2C550%20fatalities%20and%2071%2C000%20injuri

es.&text=A%20study%20by%20the%20AAA,drowsy%20driving%20crashes%20occur%20annually.

6 https://drowsydriving.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/DDPW-Drowsy-Driving-Facts.pdf