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As
winter break approaches, many students will be driving
home for the holidays. This is a crucial time, then,
to alert them to the dangers of drowsy driving. The
common effects of driving while drowsy include becoming
stressed, getting impatient and driving faster-a dangerous,
and commonly fatal, combination.
The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) developed a website
dedicated to creating awareness and providing resources
for preventing this dangerous problem at www.drowsydriving.org.
The
grim accident statistics speak loud and clear-the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conservatively
estimates that 100,000 police-reported crashes are the
direct result of driver fatigue each year.
Striking even closer to home are the findings from the
NSF on young people and drowsy driving:
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Approximately 55% of drowsy driving crashes are caused
by drivers less than 25 years old.
-
Being awake for 18 hours is equal to a blood alcohol
concentration (BAC) of 0.08%, which is legally drunk
and leaves you at equal risk for a crash.
Drowsy Driving Basics for College Students
Cornell
University also has a drowsy driving site (http://www.drowsydriving.cornell.edu)
filled with "Drowsy Driving Basics for College
Students." There, the site notes, "Drowsy
driving refers, of course, to drivers who actually fall
asleep at the wheel. But it also includes those drivers
who are so fatigued that they are slow to perceive risky
situations and unable to respond quickly enough to avoid
a crash."
It
goes on to provide some tips for preventing drowsy driving,
as noted by the NSF, which include:
- Get
a good night's sleep. The average person requires
about 8 hours of sleep a night. Plan to drive during
times of day when you are normally awake and stay
overnight rather than traveling straight through.
- Avoid
driving during your body's "down time."
Take a mid-afternoon break and find a place to sleep
between midnight and 6 a.m.
- Get
a companion for a long trip. Passengers can talk with
you, help look for early warning signs of fatigue
and provide a change of drivers when needed. If you
don't have a companion, try organizing a carpool via
a campus ride board.
-
Schedule regular stops every 100 miles or two hours.
- Avoid
alcohol and medications that may impair performance.
Alcohol interacts with fatigue; increasing its effects-just
like drinking on an empty stomach.
-
Consult your physician or a sleep disorders center
for diagnosis and treatment if you suffer frequent
daytime sleepiness, have difficulty sleeping at night
often, and/or snore loudly every night.
Before
your student climbs in a car after this busy, often
sleepless month, alert him to the dangers that drowsy
driving may have for him and others this holiday season.
And be aware of the dangers yourself, should you head
off to pick up your student after a busy workweek. Caution
is key.
Danger
Signs on the Road
If these things occur, students should get off the road
immediately before they fall asleep and/or get into
a drowsy driving crash:
-
experience wandering or disconnected thoughts
-
drift from your lane or hit a rumble strip
-
keep jerking your vehicle back into the lane
-
tailgate
-
miss traffic signs
-
yawn repeatedly
-
have difficulty keeping eyes open and focused
-
can't remember the last few miles
-
have trouble keeping your head up
Source:
www.powersleep.org
"Research
shows, one of the groups at highest risk for sleep related
crashes are young adults, who tend to stay up late,
sleep too little, and drive at night."
Source: www.drowsydriving.cornell.edu
opyright
2005. PaperClip Communications www.paper-clip.com
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