Almost 20 percent of vehicle traffic fatalities due to sleepy driving

Rest areas exist for a reason, and sleepy driving is dangerous. Individuals really should grab a power nap before driving or pulling over for one if tired. There had been a recent study which tallied up the cost of drowsy driving. Practically a fifth of all crashes that resulted in somebody dying involved a sleepy driver. And it may be even more prevalent than previously thought.

Driving while drowsy has no good results

Drowsy Driving has new statistics most recently released. The study was done by the American Automobile Association, (aka AAA). 16.5% of fatal accidents involved a sleep deprived driver. A driver behind the wheel when tired had been also involved in 13.1 percent of accidents where a victim was hospitalized. in 7 percent of accidents involving a required towing there had been a drowsy driver. Drowsy drivers were 2/3 men and 1/3 women. Sleep deprived drivers in accidents were twice as likely to be 16 to 24 years old than drivers 40 to 59 years old. The primary ways the accidents occurred had been by drifting into other lanes or driving off the one entirely. This accounted for 57 percent of the accidents.

More American's tired

There has been more than one report claiming that Americans rest less than they used to. Most Americans sleep less than 7 hours despite being advised to rest at least 8. New Zealand conducted a study on drowsy driving in 2000. As outlined by CNN the study showed that a sleepy driver was a dangerous as a driver who is drunk. That said, drowsy driving results in fewer traffic fatalities, injuries and accidents than drunk driving does. Deaths caused by drowsy drivers is still insanely high.

Don't risk it

The risk of falling asleep behind the wheel, according to the AAA study, diminishes 50 percent if a passenger is present. Get your caffeine in you, and pull over to rest in case you are sleepy. Simply getting enough sleep before a long road trip can make a world of difference.

Articles cited

AAA Foundation

aaafoundation.org/multimedia/index.cfm?button=pressreleases

CNN

archives.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/09/20/sleep.deprivation/