Drowsy driving can be as dangerous as drunk driving

[DrBanneker]

I have nearly nodded off once on a late night drive....never again. Now I sleep in a hotel or at least a hotel parking lot if I feel too tired but here are some facts:

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Previous research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has estimated as many as 7% of all crashes, 13% of crashes that result in hospital admission, and 21% of fatal crashes involve driver drowsiness. However, the relationship between specific measures of sleep deprivation and crash risk has not been quantified in the general driving population.

The results of this study indicate that drivers who usually sleep for less than 5 hours daily, drivers who have slept for less than 7 hours in the past 24 hours, and drivers who have slept for 1 or more hours less than their usual amount of sleep in the past 24 hours have significantly elevated crash rates. The estimated rate ratio for crash involvement associated with driving after only 4-5 hours of sleep compared with 7 hours or more is similar to the U.S. government’s estimates of the risk associated with driving with a blood alcohol concentration equal to or slightly above the legal limit for alcohol in the U.S.

TIPS:
From CDC

The Warning Signs of Drowsy Driving
If you experience any of the warning signs of drowsy driving while driving,
pull over to a safe place and take a 15-20 minute nap or change drivers.
Simply turning up the radio or opening the window are not effective ways to keep you alert.

1. Yawning or blinking frequently.
2. Difficulty remembering the past few miles driven.
3. Missing your exit.
4. Drifting from your lane.
5. Hitting a rumble strip

 

[DallasTxRep]

I think it's worse in some cases....

 

[Marco Andretti]

Bro .. I feel it's way worse ..

Being drunk .. RAISES your awareness .

But slows down your reaction time ..

Being sleepy or drowsy to the point of nodding in and out of sleep is far more dangerous..

I've been in both position and it's way harder to stay up when your sleepy than to drive drunk and be somewhat reckless.

The ability not to stay up when u want on the highway at a light .. sucks..

 

[Rigamortus]

I've done both but only came to close to crashing when I was driving drowsy.

 

[R=G]

Of course it is..you should of known that a long time ago..

 

[BlackAchilles]

I say its worse

 

[Alfred0Santana]

I think it's worse in some cases....

Yeah..was gone say this. Done drove home from on the highway a hour away drunk before no problems. (I ain't shyt.) If I'm sleepy I might not even get my ass on the road

 

[BlackBall]

I can barely stay awake most of the time these days

 

[DrBanneker]

Yeah..was gone say this. Done drove home from on the highway a hour away drunk before no problems. (I ain't shyt.) If I'm sleepy I might not even get my ass on the road

Co-sign, one thing most people don't realize is that driving late 11PM to 6 AM knocks off your rhythm so you can become sleepy in route even if you didn't start that way. That is what got me once. I wasn't even tired when I had started around 7.

 

[DrBanneker]

I can barely stay awake most of the time these days

Take a 10-15 minute nap before hitting the road or in a safe place if you feel tired.

 

[isisleo86]

Driving while sleepy is the worst! I never knew I could fall asleep with my eyes OPEN. I remember driving home one weekend from school, I was sleepy but was trying to shake it off. Suddenly I started hitting the reflectors on the road and it startled me and I realized I "lost time" even though I never closed my eyes. It happened again a few minutes later, that's when I realized I was falling asleep. I thank God no one in front of me had to brake suddenly because I would have ran right into them doing interstate speeds (was on I-95).

It's been years since I've done that though, only happened 3 or 4 times. Now I'm better able to stay alert but I'll stop in a populated area if I'm on a long trip and rest my eyes (I don't trust completely falling asleep in public, not even in my car).

 

[Rigamortus]

Driving while sleepy is the worst! I never knew I could fall asleep with my eyes OPEN. I remember driving home one weekend from school, I was sleepy but was trying to shake it off. Suddenly I started hitting the reflectors on the road and it startled me and I realized I "lost time" even though I never closed my eyes. It happened again a few minutes later, that's when I realized I was falling asleep. I thank God no one in front of me had to brake suddenly because I would have ran right into them doing interstate speeds (was on I-95).

It's been years since I've done that though, only happened 3 or 4 times. Now I'm better able to stay alert but I'll stop in a populated area if I'm on a long trip and rest my eyes (I don't trust completely falling asleep in public, not even in my car).

Something similsr happened to me. They recently did some major roadworks here in Denver at this intersection.

Before there was no medians. I was driving home at 1:00 am and I closed my eyes for what I thought was a second. Next thing you know I'm on the opposite side of the street with half my car on the sidewalk. Thank god there was no oncoming traffic or pedestrians.

 

[DrBanneker]

Even if you aren't tired, be careful in late night/early morning driving since other drivers may be knocked out...

 

[blockburna420]

Don't take xanys and drive

 

[Clayton Endicott]

I commute about 45 min to work, and there have been times where my exit came up, and I'm like "Where the fukk did the last 40 minutes go ?" I didn't fully fall asleep, but was drowsy enough to where I wasn't cognizant of what I was doing and was basically driving on autopilot .