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I i Ie i The e Silent I en Killer I er Driving Cassi Williams Contributing Writer Being sleepy is dangerous especially if you are behind the wheel of a vehicle Sleepiness slows reaction time decreases awareness and impairs judgment just like drugs or alcohol And just like drugs and alcohol sleepiness can contribute to a collision Pennsylvania Turnpike and New York Thruway studies estimate that about 50 percent percent percent per- per cent of their fatal crashes are are caused by drowsy drivers Most people know how dangerous drinking and driving driving driving dri dri- ving is but how many people know that driving drowsy can be just as fatal as driving drunk According to the National Sleep Foundations Foundation's NSF about one-half one of adult dri dri- vers vers vers- million people say they have driven a vehicle in inthe inthe inthe the past year while feeling drowsy And 32 million people people peo- peo peo peo- pIe have actually fallen asleep at atthe the wheel J Approximately two million drivers admit they have had hadan hadan hadan an accident because they dozed off or were too tired to drive Also the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conservatively conservative conservative- conservatively ly estimates that reported police-reported crashes each year are the direct result of driver fatigue This results in an estimated 1550 deaths injuries and billion in monetary losses Who is at a high at risk for sleep related crashes They are most common in young people especially men adults with children and shift workers According to the NSF's 2002 poll adults between the ages of 18 and 29 are much more likely to drive while drowsy compared to other age groups Men are more likely than women to drive while drowsy 56 percent percent percent per per- cent vs 45 percent and are almost twice as likely as women to fall asleep while driving Adults with children in the household are more likely to drive drowsy than those without without without with with- out children 59 percent vs 45 percent Shift workers are more likely than those who work a regular daytime schedule to drive to or or from work drowsy at least a few days 36 percent vs 25 percent Sleep deprivation increases the risk of a sleep-related sleep crash so the less you sleep the greater risk you have Being sleepy r makes you misperceive things Many people believe that they are sate safe drivers so it doesn't t matter matter matter mat mat- ter if they are sleepy but the only safe fe driver i is an alert driver Others rs think thin tHey an I Itell tell when to fall asleep The truth is sleep is not voluntary If youre you're drowsy you can fall asleep and never even know it You also cannot tell how long youve you've been asleep When youre you're driving being asleep for even a few seconds can kill you or someone someone someone some some- one else Stimulants like coffee are areno areno areno no substitute for sleep Drinks containing caffeine can help you feel more alert but the effects last only for a short time tune If you drink coffee and are seriously sleep-deprived sleep you are still likely to have micro sleeps sleeps brief brief naps that last about four or five seconds At 55 miles an hour that's more than yards and plenty of time to kill 4 you C A popular myth is that young people need less sleep but that is quite false In fact teenagers and young people need more sleep than people in their They often get less because they enjoy staying staying stay stay- ing up late and have a wide range of responsibilities Teenagers and young adults who get up early tend to feel alert in the evening They think that means they d dont don't nt need much sleep The problem is the temporary alertness wears off later and they can end up driving home me drowsy Here are eight danger signs sign of a drowsy driver Your eyes close or go out of focus focus' s' s involuntarily You have trouble keeping your our h head ad up You cant can't stop yawning You have wandering disconnected disconnected disconnected dis dis- dis- dis connected thoughts You dont don't remember dri dri- ving me the last few lew miles You drift between lanes t lg miss traffic signs You Yo keep jerking the car carback back into the lane You have drifted off the road and narrowly missed crashing If you have even one of these symptoms you may be bein bein bein in danger of falling asleep Pull off the road and take a nap If you are tired all of the time you may have problem A surprising number of people people peo pea pie are tired because they have a sleep disorder Sleep disorders such as apnea insomnia and narcolepsy are actually quite common Check for these symptoms Do you snore loudly Do you gasp and choke in your sleep See Driving continued on page 6 i t 11 aj q V fa iv W Driving continued from page 3 Do you spend eight or more hours in bed but still feel as though you have not had enough sleep Do you take frequent naps Do you fall asleep at strange times mes such as during meetings or at concerts and movies Do you have trouble getting getting get get- ting ng to sleep or do you wake up for a few hours during the night Does your spouse notice you have trouble breathing when you are asleep These are all strong indicators indicators indicators indica indica- tors of a sleep disorder If you have any of them see a doctor for help |