Most of us have probably experienced this at some point! Hanging your head out the window, singing at the top of your lungs, shaking your head and doing anything possible to stay awake while behind the wheel. Drowsy driving is a serious issue and can cause major accidents that could result in death and severe injuries.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA), there are an estimated 1,550 deaths, 71 thousand injuries and 12.5 billion in monetary losses due to drowsy driving. They believe this is actually a very conservative number because it is hard determine if sleepiness was the factor of a crash for various reasons:
- There is no sleepiness test like there is for drunk driving
- Police officers have no or very little training on sleepiness as the cause of a crash
- Drowsiness and sleepiness can be a major contributing factor even after someone has had a small amount of alcohol
- Many people may not admit to feeling tired when they give their reason for why a crash happened
Who are the biggest culprits in driving drowsy? (These results are based on studies conducted by the National Sleep Foundation)
- Adults between the ages of 18 to 29 are reportedly the ones to drive drowsy more than any other age group
- Men are more likely than women to drive drowsy
- People who work shift work are more likely to drive drowsy rather than those with regular daytime hours
- People with children in the house! (Imagine that!!)
How to prevent drowsy driving
- If you have that serious sleepy feeling, do not even get on the road
- Pull over at a rest stop and get a little shut eye even for 10 minutes if necessary
- Drink Caffeine!
- Get between 7 and 8 hours of sleep each night if at all possible
- If there is another driver in the car with you, share the driving duties
- Don’t make the car too cozy and comfy!
- Practice your singing! No one can hear you!
What are some danger signs that you may be a drowsy driver?
- You can barely keep your eyes open
- Yawning frequently or rubbing your eyes constantly
- You drift off the road and hit rumble strips
- You can’t keep your head up
- You miss your exit!
If you or one of your loved ones has been a victim of a drowsy driving accident or any type of car accident, please call our Denver based auto accident attorney, R. Mack Babcock for a free consultation. To learn more about auto accidents and other personal injury cases, please browse our blog and knowledge center. Stay awake out there!