Let s Talk About drowsy Driving

Transcription

1 Let s Talk About drowsy Driving Information from the Illinois Department of Public Health Division of Injury and Tobacco Use Prevention Presented by Dale O. Ritzel, Emeritus Director Safety Center, Southern Illinois University safety@siu.edu

2 Drowsy Driving Drowsy Driving is a serious problem that leads to thousands of automobile crashes each year. One is at risk for drowsy driving when sleep deprived or fatigued, driving long distances without rest or breaks, taking medications that increase sleepiness or drinking alcohol, driving alone, and driving long rural boring roads. During this presentation some important information concerning drowsy driving will be discussed.

3 Drowsy Driving Risks The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that drowsiness is a factor in 100,000 policereported crashes each year, resulting in 76,000 injuries and 1,500 deaths

4 What is Drowsy Driving? Sleepiness + Driving = Drowsy Driving

5 The National Sleep Foundation explains it like this: When you are behind the wheel of a car, being sleepy is dangerous. Sleepiness slows reaction time, decreases awareness, and impairs judgment, just like drugs or alcohol. And, just like drugs and alcohol, sleepiness can contribute to a collision. Most people know how dangerous drinking and driving is driving drowsy can be just as fatal as driving drunk.

6 Inattentiveness Drowsy driving encompasses several different components that lead to lack of inattentiveness while driving. This could be caused by sleep loss, driving patterns, use of sedating medications, untreated or unrecognized sleep disorders or consumption of alcohol.

7 Medications Something to keep in mind regarding medications is that many cold medications contain alcohol and are not to be taken while operating large machinery such as a vehicle. You should check the labels of any prescription or over-the-counter medications that you are taking. Organic medications and supplements containing valarian root and other ingredients should be used with caution when driving as well as medications containing caffeine.

8 Did you know? After staying awake for 24 hours straight, a person will be almost as impaired as if he had a blood alcohol level of.08. This is equivalent to the blood alcohol level categorized as legally drunk in Illinois. This statement allows us to realize that sleep deprivation behind the wheel may be as deadly as driving drunk behind the wheel. Now couple sleep deprivation with alcohol consumption. You can just imagine the enormous risk associated with this combination! One study showed on 4 hours of sleep, 1 beer can have the impact of a six-pack (Roehers et al., 1994)

9 Signs of Drowsiness Yawning Reactions slow down Feeling stiff Heavy eyelids Bobbing/drooping of the head Day dreaming Wandering over the center line or onto the edge of the road while driving

10 Drowsy Driving Risks Makes drivers less attentive Impairs performance levels Causes drivers to fall asleep at the wheel

11 Drowsy Driving Crashes Are more likely to occur at night or in the midafternoon Research shows: Crashes occurring during the hours of 12AM to 6AM tend to be more fatal than crashes at any other time. During 12AM to 6AM the timing clock in the brain is in sleep mode thus causing drowsy driving crashes to be at higher rates during these times. Drowsy driving persons also have a harder time staying in the center of their driving lane. Rumble strips located on the side of the road are helpful in keeping drowsy drivers from driving off of the road. Often involve a single vehicle running off the roadway and hits a single object Most are rear-end or head-on collisions. Sleep-related crashes look different from alcohol-related crashes in that the driver tends not to be able to brake or take evasive measures because they are completely out prior to impact. (NSF) Are more likely to occur on higher speed limits.

12 Drowsy Driving Crash Facts Are more likely to result in serious injuries Typically involve no attempt to brake or avoid the crash Often involve a driver who is alone

13 Who is most at risk? It is important to remember all drivers are at risk of drowsy driving. Sleep-deprived or fatigued, especially if you are driving long distances without rest breaks, driving through the night, the early afternoon, or at other times when they are normally asleep, taking medication that increases sleepiness or drinking alcohol, driving alone, driving on long, rural, boring roads or a frequent travelers, e.g., business travelers. However, the populations most at risk are: Commercial Drivers not only drive high number of miles driven, they also may drive during the night when the body is sleepiest Shift Workers are at high risk because their natural sleep patterns are disrupted by working nights or long and irregular hours (NHTSA). It is the drive home after the night shift that is likely to be a particularly dangerous one. Untreated sleep problems or disorders - The presence of a sleep disorder increases the risk of crashes. Disorders such as chronic insomnia, sleep apnea and narcolepsy, all of which lead to excessive daytime sleepiness, afflict an estimated 30 million Americans. Most people with sleep disorders remain undiagnosed and untreated. Sleep apnea occurs in 4% of middle-aged men and 2% of middle-aged women. The disorder is associated with a three to seven time increase in crash risk.

14 Also at Risk are: Young Adults Sleep-related crashes are most common in young people, who tend to stay up late, sleep too little, and drive at night. Now why is it important that we address drowsy driving prevention with the high school and college population. Not only are they one of the top four populations at risk, they also are involved in a high percentage of the drowsy driving crashes. In fact, a North Carolina study indicated 55% of the individuals involved in drowsy driving crashes were 25 years of age or under and mainly male.

15 Illinois GDL In Illinois we have a legal way to combat drowsy driving by young adults and it is though the Graduated Driver Licensing System. Even though drowsy driving is not specifically mentioned in the Graduated Driver Licensing System, there are a couple of component which address drowsy driving. GDL is a three phase process starting at 15 and concluding at age 20, which covers the majority of the young adult age group at risk of drowsy driving. Through out phase one and part of phase two, there is an 11 p.m. curfew Sunday Thursday and midnight Friday and Saturday. This prevents the teens from driving during the peak time of drowsy driving crashes which is from 12 a.m to 6 a.m. In addition, throughout all three phases, young adults are required to maintain a legal blood alcohol content limit of.00. As we mentioned at the beginning of the presentation, when you couple sleep deprivation with alcohol consumption, it augments drowsiness and can be fatal when you mix with driving.

16 What is the Most Important Way to Beat Drowsy Driving? SLEEP

17 Importance of Sleep Sleep is a biological need with predictable patterns of sleepiness and wakefulness We all have biological clocks which regulate when we are sleepy.

18 Importance of Sleep Everyone s body has it s own biological clock. It tells us when we are hungry and sleepy. Most of our body s run on a daily rhythm of approximately 24 hours or in other terms, a Circadian rhythm meaning about a day. Morning People feel most alert in the day, while night people like to stay up late. Teenagers and young adults have clocks that make them want to go to bed late and sleep late the next morning. As people get older they tend to wake up earlier and want to go to bed earlier. NOTE: As the students to think about what times of day they are most alert, when they feel drowsy, do they know what schedule their clock goes by? (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety)

19 Importance of Sleep We have talked about how drowsy driving crashes are especially likely to happened between midnight and 6 a.m., but did you know that another dangerous time of day in which our biological clocks are programmed to be sleepy is between 1 5 pm also known as that afternoon lull. (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety) And isn t this the same time our teenagers/young adults are driving from school to after school activities such as jobs or extracurricular activities?!

20 Importance of Sleep Continued Repeatedly losing only 1 to 2 hours of sleep a night can lead to chronic sleepiness Loss of just one night s sleep can lead to extreme short-term sleepiness Sleep disorders can lead to sleepiness Some people can get a good night s sleep and still feel sleepy the next morning. These people may have medical sleep disorders. Some common sleep disorders are sleep apnea and narcolepsy. Sleep Apnea is a breathing disorder characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. Often times, people with sleep apnea will snore loudly, have high blood pressure, and sleepiness during the day. Narcolepsy is a rare sleep disorder. It s main characteristic is excessive and overwhelming daytime sleepiness even after an adequate night time sleep.

21 What Can You Do to Get Enough Sleep? Sleeping is the only way to reduce sleepiness Young adults need 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night. It is a fact that young adults need more sleep than older adults, however, they tend to get less because of their hectic schedules. It is during the teen/young adult years where their bodies are growing and need approximately 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night.

22 Rating Your Sleepiness The Daytime Sleepiness Test (Epworth) helps measure a general level of daytime sleepiness Each item describes a routine daytime situation The scale rates the likelihood of dozing off or falling asleep during the activity Click on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and respond to the 8 questions and send your results with a brief paragraph on what the results mean to you to safety@siu.edu. (You can copy and paste your results in an message).

23 How to Beat Drowsy Driving On long trips plan a rest stop at least every 2 hours Switch drivers if possible Find a safe place and nap Combine a caffeinated beverage like soda or coffee and a nap Avoid alcohol and sedating medications

24 Take the Drowsy Driving Test Click on the test below and send your answers to Go to Drowsy Driving Test

25 Resources AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety Wake Up! campaign National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Awake At the Wheel campaign National Sleep Foundation Drive Alert Arrive Alive campaign