Arthur Merrison
P. 3A
Drowsy Driving Approximately 100,000 people are involved in drowsy driving related accidents annually. These accidents result in 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries and $12.5 billion in monetary losses annually. These types of accidents are common in young drivers, shift workers and people with children. There are many signs to identify if you or someone else in the vehicle are driving while drowsy. Getting enough sleep is crucial to maintaining alertness and awareness while driving. Studies show that people with six to seven hours of sleep each night are two times more likely to get into an accident than those who receive eight hours or more. Adults with children are 56% more likely to get into an accident than those without children. Shift workers are 36% more likely to get into DD related accidents than people with more predictable work hours. Staying awake for 18 hours is the equivalent of having a blood alcohol content of .05%. 24 hours of staying awake is the equivalent of having a blood alcohol level of 0.1%. Drowsy driving is a common occurrence and there are many ways that it is exhibited behaviorally. Swerving from lane to lane and missing your exit are very common behaviors associated with drowsy driving. Yawning and fidgeting are a few examples of behaviors exhibited by people who are driving while drowsy and are especially apparent to others in the vehicle with them. If you have difficulty remembering the last few miles you have driven you may be drowsy and should either switch drivers, turn up the radio, roll down a window, or pull over and take a nap so you don’t get involved in an accident. If you find yourself drifting into rumble strips or other lanes than you should pull over and nap if no one else is in the vehicle who could drive in your place. Men are often related in drowsy driving related accidents 56% more of the time than women, who are involved in drowsy driving related accidents only 44% of the time. Young adults, ages 18 to 29, are involved in drowsy driving related accidents 71% more of the