Ezra Chan, Center Spread Editor
Drowsy driving accounts for approximately 10% of all car accidents, according to a study done this year by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. That is up 8-9% from official statistics from the U.S. government, which indicate that only approximately 1–2% of all motor vehicle crashes involve drowsy driving. However, as Brian Tefft, a senior researcher at the foundation said, “drowsiness is a notoriously difficult problem to detect… principally because there is not any clear, obvious evidence for the police to see or measure after the fact like there might be with alcohol.” Because of the difficulty in identifying exhaustion as the cause of the accident, driving while sleep deprived may be an even greater issue than we think.
The National Sleep Foundation found that 60% of adult drivers have reported driving while drowsy and more than one third had admitted to fallen asleep at the wheel. Inattentiveness, whether it be caused by drowsiness, cell phone usage, or other distractions, while driving is a major cause of car related injuries and deaths in the US and can lead to extensive property damage, serious injury, and death. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conservatively estimated that the 100,000 police-reported crashes caused by driver fatigue resulted in 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5 billion in monetary losses.
Sleep deprivation also negatively impacts reaction time and makes it hard to pay attention to the road, especially for teenagers and young adults. Driving on five hours of sleep or fewer can be compared to driving while drunk. An episode from the Discovery Channel television program, Mythbusters, confirmed that driving while sleep deprived was even more dangerous than driving while drunk.
Decreased sleep opportunity, lower tolerance for sleep loss, and ongoing maturation of brain areas associated with driving-related decision making all contribute to the higher risk for crashes associated with younger drivers. Junior Megan Wong illustrates this, saying, “it’s like when you’re distracted and sleepy in class. You end up putting your head down and not focusing. If you do that while driving you could end up in a serious accident. In class, you get a verbal slap on the wrist, or maybe you get sent to the dean’s office. But in a quickly moving vehicle, something that’s supposed to be completely in your control, you could seriously endanger your own life or someone else’s.”
Adults should get at least 7 hours in the 24 hour period before driving and teens should get at least 8. Drivers were 1.3 times more likely to be involved in accidents if they missed an hour of sleep and 1.9 times more likely if they missed two of the seven hours recommended daily, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “Managing a healthy work-life balance can be difficult, and far too often, we sacrifice our sleep as a result,” said Jake Nelson, director of Traffic Safety Advocacy and Research for AAA. “Failing to maintain a healthy sleep schedule could mean putting yourself or others on the road at risk.”
Despite all the risks involved, drivers do not always realize when they are sleep deprived. Some signs to watch out for include difficulty focusing, frequent blinking or heavy eyelids, daydreaming or wandering, disconnected thoughts, trouble remembering the last few miles driven, missing exits or traffic signs, yawning repeatedly or rubbing your eyes, trouble keeping head up or steady, drifting from the lane, tailgating, or hitting a shoulder rumble strip, and feeling restless and irritable. Drivers or passengers who notice any of these signs should switch drivers if possible or stop—when safe to do so—and take a 20 minute nap before continuing to their destination.
