Study: Drowsy driving as dangerous as drunk driving

Published 3:37 pm Tuesday, December 27, 2016

VALDOSTA, Ga. — Driving while drowsy is just as dangerous as driving drunk, a recent study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety finds.

In a work-obsessed culture that places supreme importance on deadlines and bottom lines, Americans often forego sleep to meet the daily demands of life, and that choice could have deadly consequences, the AAA study says.

Losing one to two hours of sleep doubles a driver’s crash risk, and losing just two to three hours of sleep puts drivers at the same crash risk as drunk drivers, the study reports. It goes on to say drowsy driving is involved in more than one in five fatal crashes on U.S. roadways each year.

Here are tips from the AAA and National Sleep Foundation on staying alert and safe on the road, especially during the heavily traveled holiday season:

• Plan to drive long trips with a companion.

• Schedule regular stops, every 100 miles or two hours.

• Avoid alcohol and medications (over-the-counter and prescribed) that may cause drowsiness.

• Travel at times when normally awake.

• Avoid heavy foods.

• Drink coffee.

• Get a good night’s sleep.

Symptoms of drowsy driving include heavy eyelids, difficulty focusing, trouble remembering the last few miles driven, drifting from your lane and feeling restless and irritable, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

However, the AAA said a person’s body won’t always tell him or her when it’s not safe to get behind the wheel, and the company urged drivers to prioritize getting seven hours of sleep each night.

The NSF adds that certain groups — such as young males, late-night workers, commercial drivers and overworked business people — are more at risk of not getting enough sleep and crashing due to their lifestyles.