Sleepy Drivers - The Deadly Threat On Our Roads

Posted on May 22, 2008

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Sleepy Drivers - The Deadly Threat On Our Roads

Your eyes are heavy, your head starts to nod and pretty soon you’re taking an impromptu nap.

Trouble is, you’re not in your favourite chair at home, but behind the wheel of your car. Or the huge semi-trailer you drive for a living.

If you’re lucky, you’ll wake up before you lose control and veer off the road . . . or into oncoming traffic.

But if you don’t wake up, you’ll never know what hit you - and neither will the poor victims in your path.

Welcome to the world of sleepy drivers - coming soon to a road near you.

Virtually every driver at some point has had to pull over for a rest break because they desperately needed to close their eyes. Think about the annual family vacation, for example. You’ve only driven around town or your city for the past year and suddenly you’re heading off on a journey of several hundred miles with a vehicle full of noisy kids. You didn’t sleep much the night before because of all the packing and last minute things that had to be done around the house.

If you make an early start, there’s a pretty good chance your partner and the kids will soon be taking a nap while you focus on the road. Soon, you’ll join them . . .

Of all the activities to engage in after a poor night’s sleep, driving is right up there with the most dangerous.

Yet we do it ALL THE TIME!!

The U.S. National Commission on Sleep Disorders conducted a survey that found drowsiness was a factor in half of all traffic collisions and a staggering 36 per cent of fatal accidents.

The U.K. government found that 20 per cent of so-called “accidents” that resulted in death and serious injury were caused by drivers who were drowsy or suffering from a sleep disorder.

11 per cent of British drivers admitted to having fallen asleep at the wheel.

New research from Stanford University suggests that driving while you are tired is as dangerous as drunk driving.

If you nod off easily in work meetings, at home or feel excessively sleepy when driving, it’s time to get yourself to the doctor’s office for a check-up. You might have a serious medical condition like sleep apnea (Greek for “without breath”) which prevents you from getting a good night‘s sleep, making you excessively drowsy during the day.

Don’t put that appointment it off - your next nap could kill you and those near and dear to you.

While I recommend a medical check-up for excessive tiredness and heavy snoring, many of us suffer from short- or long-term insomnia. We just aren’t getting the rest we need because of lifestyle, stress and anxiety, shift work and other causes. I address those issues in my book Banish Insomnia (see below), but there are some simple things all of us should do to make sure we are fit to hit the road.

First, remember that most adults need 7-8 hours sleep. Don’t think you’ll get away with three or four, especially if you’re been partying. Your reactions will be dulled and you’ll be a danger to yourself and other road users.

Second, share the driving if at all possible, particularly on a long trip.

Third, plan on plenty of rest breaks. It’s a macho, dumb “guy thing” to think you can drive all day without stopping just because you’re impatient to get there. Relax, your destination isn’t going anywhere. I say two hours, three maximum, is long enough in one stretch to be focused on the road and other vehicles.

Fourth, make sure you are particularly well rested before driving at night, when you are contending with dazzling lights and poor visibility. Don’t start driving in the dark if you’ve been working hard all day. Take a nap first and if you still feel tired, delay the journey.

Fifth, read your maps and know where you are going. The combination of tiredness and confusion in a strange city can be deadly.


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