Have you ever driven home late at night, only to realize that you don't actually recall the details of the drive? I have, and as a result vowed years ago to rearrange my travel schedule to avoid driving myself home from the airport in a late-night post-business-travel stupor. The National Healthy Sleep Awareness Projects calls drowsy driving a "pervasive threat to public health and transportation safety."
Related: AAA: Open Your Eyes to the Dangers of Drowsy Driving
A study in the Accident Analysis and Prevention Journal showed that being awake for 21 hours can decrease the "ability to maintain speed and road position as serious as having a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent." It's no wonder that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports more than 100,000 crashes every year are caused by drowsy drivers.
The Healthy Sleep Awareness Project has recently launched Awake at the Wheel, an initiative aimed at educating drivers on the dangers of driving drowsy. The experts behind the initiative go a few steps beyond simply preaching; here are some warning signs and tips to help you avoid driving drowsy:
Drowsy Driving Warning Signs
- You keep yawning.
- You are unable to keep your eyes open.
- You catch yourself "nodding off" and have trouble keeping your head up.
- You can't remember driving the last few miles.
- You end up too close to cars in front of you.
- You miss road signs or drive past your turn.
- You drift into the other lane of traffic.
- You drift onto the "rumble strip" or the road's shoulder.
Drowsy Driving Prevention
"Rolling down the windows or turning up the volume on the radio will do little to increase your alertness while driving," according to the National Healthy Sleep Project. Here are some more effective ways to avoid drowsy driving:
- Get a full night of seven to nine hours of sleep before driving.
- Avoid driving late at night.
- Avoid driving alone.
- On a long trip, share the driving with another passenger.
- Pull over at a rest stop and take a nap.
- Use caffeine for a short-term boost.
- Take a short nap after consuming caffeine to maximize the alerting effect.
- Arrange for someone to give you a ride home after working a late shift.
Join with us in vowing to never drive drowsy again — even if it means spending a little extra for a taxi, car service or a hotel for a night, or calling in a favor to a night-owl friend for a ride. Our lives are worth the extra effort.
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