Have you had an extra yawn or two as you get behind the wheel for a trip recently?
If so, you’re not alone, but you’re also part of a notable trend called — not surprisingly — drowsy driving. Research has been focused on commercial truck drivers until recently, simply because the trend is now fairly widespread. Kansas AAA Vice President of Governmental Relations Shawn Steward says April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and he says sleepy driving may be far more prevalent than you might think.
Five years ago, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported almost 800 fatalities involving drowsy drivers, or about 2 percent of all motor vehicle crash fatalities. Nationally, drowsy driving has been reportedly involved in 2 to 2.5 percent of fatal crashes and around 2 percent of overall crashes since 2016. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety estimates the percentages of law enforcement-reported fatal crashes may be closer to 16 to 21 percent.
Steward anticipates more discussions about drowsy driving, along with continued conversations about other forms of impaired driving, like driving while intoxicated and driving while distracted. He also says there are certain obvious tell-tale signs of drowsy driving, like trouble staying awake — the most obvious of all — but also drifting from one lane to another or not remembering the last few miles while behind the wheel. He suggests getting at least seven hours of sleep per night, traveling at times when you’re normally awake, scheduling breaks every 100 miles or so, traveling with a partner, taking a “power nap” and limiting use of medications that could make you sleepy.
*Click here for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention information page on drowsy driving.
*Click here for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration information page.
*Click here for the AAA information page.
