Dangers of Drowsy Driving

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Drowsy driving can be a problem for all of us. It is not just that you could fall asleep while driving but that your ability to react in emergency situations is impaired. It can happen to you when you least expect it. Not only that but you can be the victim of someone else’s drowsy driving any time you get into your car.

Drowsy truck drivers are especially hazardous because their job puts them on the road (in a monstrous piece of metal) for most of their working hours.

If I could do it, I would re-create the efforts of MADD–only instead of DWI, the target would be DWF (Driving While Fatigued).

A study by researchers in Australia showed that being awake for 18 hours produced an impairment equal to a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .05, and .10 after 24 hours; .08 is considered legally drunk. 

Unfortunately, many people do not look upon drowsy driving as a serious problem. Perhaps if you knew that you were intoxicated, you might hand your keys to someone else to help you get home safely.  Why would you choose to be safe in one case and not the other?

Many crashes are caused by drowsy drivers, because there is often little or no attempt to stop a collision.  Crash investigators often notice the absence of skid marks or other signs of braking; this may be evidence of microsleep .

And read about Sleep Inertia here.

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