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Effects of Lack of Sleep on Driving

Driving while drunk may be unthinkable to you, but you may not realize the ramifications of driving while drowsy. This phenomenon is so common (and dangerous) that the accidents caused by sleepy drivers have their own name: SRVAs, short for sleep-related vehicle accidents, according to Drive and Stay Alive, a campaign launched in the United Kingdom to combat a type of driving that has been likened to driving under the influence.

  1. Prevalence

    • According to the National Sleep Foundation, 60 percent of Americans have admitted to driving while drowsy, which is nearly 170 million people. Even more alarming, the foundation reports that nearly 40 percent, or roughly 100 million drivers, have admitted to falling asleep behind the wheel. Conservative estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cite sleepy drivers as the cause of more than 1,550 deaths and 71,000 injuries each year on U.S. roads.

    Signs

    • Your body will send warning signs when it is too sleepy to drive. According to the Australia-based Transport Accident Commission, if you yawn a lot, find your attention is repeatedly wandering from the road or your eyes are starting to feel sore, it's a good time to pull over and at least take a power nap before hitting the road again.

    Performance

    • You need to use all of your senses and be alert while driving. When you're sleepy your senses are dulled, similar to the way they are when under the influence of alcohol.The National Sleep Foundation reports that, as with drunk drivers, those who are drowsy while they're behind the wheel suffer from sluggish reaction time, poor judgment, obliviousness to surroundings, over-aggressiveness and an inability to process information---all of which can increase the odds of getting in an accident.

    Studies

    • There are studies to back up the comparison between driving while drunk and driving while drowsy. According to the Transport Accident Commission, researchers found that going without sleep for 17 hours produced effects equivalent to what could be seen in a driver with a blood alcohol content of .05. In many states, .08 is considered legally drunk. Researchers have also found that the longer you stay awake the more impaired you become, with those drivers who had been awake for 24 hours performing the way someone with a blood alcohol level of .10 might act.

    Legislation

    • The effects of drowsiness on driving has garnered so much negative attention that lawmakers in some states are pursuing laws that would make sleep-deprived drivers criminally negligent if they injure or kill someone, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

    Prevention

    • Besides listening to your body, it's recommended that on long road trips you take breaks every two hours---or every 100 miles, whichever comes first. You should also drive no more than eight to 10 hours in one day and only during times when you would normally be awake. If you find yourself feeling tired, pull over right away and take a power nap for at least 15 to 20 minutes.

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