Silent Cause of Traffic Deaths: Falling Asleep

While public education campaigns have raised awareness of the dangers of driving drunk, few know that driving drowsy can be just as dangerous.

Sleepiness slows reaction time, decreases awareness and impairs judgement, just as drugs and alcohol do.

FOUR WAYS TO KEEP ALERT

1.  Be rested.  Drive and arrive at time that you are normally awake.
2.  Pick your time.  Avoid driving during your body's downtime (mid-afternoon and midnight to 7 a.m. for most people).
3.  Take a break.  Schedule breaks every two hours or 100 miles.  Walk and get some other exercise before continuing.
4.  Pull over.  When you feel sleepy, pull off the road, find a safe place and sleep.  Even a fifteen minute nap is restorative.

DANGER SIGNALS

? Your eyes go out of focus.
? You have trouble keeping your head up.
? You can't stop yawning.
? You can't remember the last few miles you've driven.
? You drift between lanes, tailgate or miss traffic signs.
? You keep jerking the car back into the lane.

Source:  Thalia Zepatos
USA Weekend- May 16-18, 1997