You might not realize you are drowsy
You say you don’t drive for long hours at a time and you’re rarely behind the wheel in the middle of the night. So falling sleep at the wheel can’t happen to you.
Wrong. If you think about it, you’ll have to admit there have been times when you were drowsy while driving your car or truck. Though you didn’t realize it at the time, your brain was shutting down. You were becoming as impaired as if you were drunk, say doctors at the University of Minnesota.
There are two sleepy periods in each 24 hours. The first is between midnight and 6 a.m. The second is from early to mid-afternoon. You might blame what you had for lunch for the sleepiness, but your biological clock is responsible.
Quoted in Readers Digest, doctors at Washington State University’s Sleep and Performance Research Center say these signs indicate that you are too tired to drive.
* Continually yawning.
* You are irritable and uncomfortable. Your mind wanders and you have disconnected thoughts.
* You can’t remember driving the last few miles. Your driving becomes sloppy and you may hit rumble strips on the side of the road. Opening the windows, turning up the radio or stopping to stretch won’t keep you awake.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety recommends stopping for a caffeinated drink if you feel sleepy. Then, nap for 20 minutes while you wait for the caffeine to take effect.
To decrease your risk of drowsy driving, don’t skimp on sleep. Find other ways to save time.
Sleepy drivers are responsible for 22 percent to 24 percent of all crashes.