HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2015-10-28, Page 16Page 6 - FALL CAR CARE - October 28, 2015
Drowsy driving can be as dangerous as driving impaired
The public is well educated about the dangers of
driving while impaired by medication, alcohol or illegal
drugs. But drivers may not be aware that driving while
tired can be just as dangerous.
Driving when tired can be a fatal mistake. Just as
alcohol or drugs can slow down reaction time, impair
judgment and increase the risk of accident, so, too,
can being tired behind the wheel. Drowsy driving is
reportedly what caused the fatal crash in June 2014
between a limousine and a Walmart truck that ended the
life of comic James McNair and seriously injured fellow
comedian Tracy Morgan. The driver, Kevin Roper, was
going 20 miles over the speed limit and was almost at his
drive time limit, according to preliminary reports by the
National Transportation Safety Board.
According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, about 100,000 car crashes in the United
States each year occur as the result of an overly tired
driver. Various studies demonstrate that drivers who
have remained awake for 18 hours prior to driving mimic
the driving performance of intoxicated motorists. In fact,
drowsy driving can be confused with driving with a high
blood alcohol content.
Sleepiness can arise relatively quicldy, and according
to Thomas Balkin, PhD, director of the behavioral biology
program at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
and a leading expert on sleep and fatigue, it's difficult for
drivers to assess just how sleepy they are.
"Sleepiness affects the part of the brain responsible
for judgment and self-awareness," he says. "When
you've reached the stage where you are fighting sleep,
the effect of any method of reviving yourself can be very
short-lived."
Furthermore, people do not have to be in a deep sleep
to actually be asleep behind the wheel. Micro -sleeps
occur when certain brain cells temporarily shut down
for a few seconds. A person is not completely asleep but
in a sort of fog as if
they are asleep.
When
sleepiness setsin,
the best course
of action is to
pull off the road.
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Opening the window, turning on the radio or blasting
cold air is, at best, only a temporary solution. If driving
with passengers and feelings of sleepiness appear, hand
the keys over to a passenger and have them take over
driving, if possible. Otherwise, a short nap and a cup of
coffee can be used in combination to increase alertness.
It's also a good idea to avoid beginning a long road
trip in mid-afternoon around the hours of two or three
o'clock. While alertness generally dips in the evening
hours, due to the circadian rhythm, alertness also dips in
the late afternoon, prompting drowsiness. A 2010 study
by the American Automobile Association Foundation for
Traffic Safety found that as many drivers reported falling
asleep at the wheel in the afternoon hours as reported
falling asleep late at night. Driving in a warm, quiet car
also may spur drowsiness, as would driving after a heavy
meal.
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