Sleepy driving causes nearly two million crashes in US
Sleepy driving causes nearly two million crashes in US
09:15, November 06, 2009 
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Sleepy drivers pose a menace on the road, causing nearly two million crashes every year in the United States, according to a survey pulished on Wednesday.
The survey found that 1.9 million people, or one percent of US drivers, have had accidents or near-misses over the past year because they were driving while too tired.
In addition, more than half of drivers surveyed admitted they had driven over the past year while feeling drowsy, and 28 percent said they drove while sleepy at least once a month, according to the survey sponsored by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).
Researchers compare sleepy driving to being drunk because not sleeping for more than 20 hours can make people as impaired as if they were drunk. Tired people react slowly, become less aware and have poor judgement, researchers say.
"People underestimate how tired they are and think that they can stay awake by sheer force of will," NSF Chairman Thomas Balkin said in a news release about the 2009 Sleep in America poll. "This is a risky misconception. Would there be 1.9 million fatigue-related crashes or near-misses if people were good at assessing their own ability to drive when fatigued?" he asked.
"The problem is that, although we are pretty good at recognizing when we feel sleepy, we do not recognize the process of actually falling asleep as it is happening," Balkin said. "The process robs us of both self-awareness and awareness of our environment. All it takes is a moment of reduced awareness to cause a crash."
The NSF recommends that drivers watch out for these warning signs: difficulty focusing, heavy eyelids, difficulty avoiding daydreams, nodding, forgetting the last few miles they've driven, and repeated yawning.
If people do feel sleepy on the road, turn the wheel over to a buddy and take a nap, the NSF suggested.
Although caffeinated beverages could keep drivers more alert for a few hours, caffeine was no replacement for sleep, the NSF said.
Source: Xinhua
The survey found that 1.9 million people, or one percent of US drivers, have had accidents or near-misses over the past year because they were driving while too tired.
In addition, more than half of drivers surveyed admitted they had driven over the past year while feeling drowsy, and 28 percent said they drove while sleepy at least once a month, according to the survey sponsored by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).
Researchers compare sleepy driving to being drunk because not sleeping for more than 20 hours can make people as impaired as if they were drunk. Tired people react slowly, become less aware and have poor judgement, researchers say.
"People underestimate how tired they are and think that they can stay awake by sheer force of will," NSF Chairman Thomas Balkin said in a news release about the 2009 Sleep in America poll. "This is a risky misconception. Would there be 1.9 million fatigue-related crashes or near-misses if people were good at assessing their own ability to drive when fatigued?" he asked.
"The problem is that, although we are pretty good at recognizing when we feel sleepy, we do not recognize the process of actually falling asleep as it is happening," Balkin said. "The process robs us of both self-awareness and awareness of our environment. All it takes is a moment of reduced awareness to cause a crash."
The NSF recommends that drivers watch out for these warning signs: difficulty focusing, heavy eyelids, difficulty avoiding daydreams, nodding, forgetting the last few miles they've driven, and repeated yawning.
If people do feel sleepy on the road, turn the wheel over to a buddy and take a nap, the NSF suggested.
Although caffeinated beverages could keep drivers more alert for a few hours, caffeine was no replacement for sleep, the NSF said.
Source: Xinhua
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