By Chad Engle, Loss Prevention and Safety Specialist

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) determined that during calendar year 2019, 697 people died due to car crashes resulting from drowsy driving. NHTSA further estimates rely on police and hospital reports to determine the incidence of drowsy-driving crashes. NHTSA estimated that in 2017, 91,000 police-reported crashes involved drowsy driving. These crashes led to an estimated 50,000 injuries and nearly 800 deaths. Traffic safety professionals agree that there is an underestimate of the impact of drowsy driving, these numbers are most likely significantly higher.

There are multiple causes for fatigue and drowsiness, tackling these issues is difficult as our society values do not align with avoiding drowsy driving. A driver cannot be ticketed for drowsy driving, there are no field drowsy driving tests. Drivers believe that they can fight their way through driving drowsy and often choose to drive when it is not safe for them to do so.

I understand that there are times when the drive needs to happen, just this weekend I had to drive to Indianapolis and back, roughly 9 hours each way. The drive down was easy, left home in the morning after a good night’s sleep. The drive home was the opposite. Left Indianapolis after watching a couple of my son’s games, in the heat. When I entered “home” on the GPS, it told me we would reach our destination at approximately 12 am, not a fun 9 hours. We pulled it off with regular stops, some caffeine and taking turns driving. These are all risk management techniques that can be used when driving.

Drowsy-driving crashes occur most frequently between midnight and 6 a.m., or in the late afternoon. During these times, our circadian rhythm dips causing us to feel tired. Drowsy-driving crashes often involve only a single driver running off the road at high speeds with no evidence of braking and frequently occur on rural roads and highways. If your trip involves any of these it is a high-risk trip, and you should be sure to start these trips well rested. The truth is rest is the only sure way to deal with drowsy driving.

Here are some tips to avoid driving drowsy:

  • Getting adequate sleep regularly is the only true way to protect yourself against the risk of drowsy driving.
  • Start long car trips after getting a good night’s sleep.
  • Take turns driving.
  • Avoid drinking alcohol before driving. Alcohol interacts with sleepiness to increase drowsiness and impairment.
  • Check prescription and OTC medication labels to see if drowsiness could result from their use.
  • If you drive, avoid driving during the peak sleepiness periods (midnight – 6 a.m. and late afternoon. If you must drive during peak sleepiness periods, stay vigilant for signs of drowsiness, such as crossing over lines or rumble strips, especially if driving alone.

Short-term interventions:

  • Coffee or energy drinks alone may not be enough. Their effects last only a short time and you might not be as alert as you think you are.
  • If you start to get sleepy while driving, drink one to two cups of coffee and pull over for a short 20-minute nap in a safe place, such as a lighted, designated rest stop. This has been shown to increase alertness in scientific studies, but only for short time periods.

The dangers of drowsy-driving are very real and very serious, driving drowsy is just as dangerous as driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Make the commitment to take the risk seriously and if you are drowsy, delay the trip until you are rested or find someone else to safely drive you to your destination.

For questions relating to drowsy driving and any other safe driving topics I can be reached at chad@nirma.info or 1.800.642.6671.