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waking up to drowsy driving |
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Waking Up To
Drowsy Driving
Fatigue – the hidden killer
Similar to the way drinking driving emerged as a
road safety issue 30 years ago, impairment by
fatigue, or drowsy driving, is fast becoming a major
concern in North America. It can be just as deadly
as drinking and driving or unsafe speed.
In
B.C., fatigue-related crashes accounted for
approximately two per cent of the police-reported
collisions in 2004. There were 42 fatalities and 850
injuries where police cited fatigue as a
contributing factor.
According to the Transportation Safety Board of
Canada (TSB), sleep and fatigue often leave no
 clues
for investigators to trace. Unlike alcohol-related
crashes, no blood, breath, or other test is
currently available to determine levels of
sleepiness at the time of a crash. This leaves
investigators with little hard data on which to base
a conclusion of fatigue or sleep as a cause or
contributing factor.
Despite the data limitations, experts suggest the
actual number of fatigue-related collisions may be
much higher - as high as 20 per cent to even 40 per
cent. And that makes drowsy driving as dangerous as
drinking and driving, which accounted for 23 per
cent of all victims in police-reported fatalities in
2004.
Although no driver is immune, three
groups are at highest risk:
1.
Younger people ages 16 to 29 years, especially
males. A combination of lifestyle factors such as
schoolwork demands, part-time jobs, extracurricular
activities and late night socializing.
2.
Shift workers whose sleep is disrupted by working at
night or working long or irregular hours.
3.
People with untreated or unrecognized sleep apnea
syndrome (SAS) or narcolepsy (sudden onset of brief
attacks of daytime deep sleep, or micro-sleeps).
Characteristics of fatigue-related
crashes
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Usually occur during late night/early morning or
late afternoon.
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A single vehicle, driver is alone and drives off
the road (but also a factor in rear-end and
head-on crashes).
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No skid marks, brake lights, horn sounded, or
other evidence the driver tried to avoid the
crash.
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The crash occurs on a high-speed road, usually a
highway in non-urban areas where more long
distance night-time driving occurs.
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The crash is likely to be serious, usually due
to the high speeds involved, combined with
delayed (if any) reaction time.
For a printable version of this fact sheet, click
here (requires adobe acrobat reader)
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The Warning Signs |
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You’re becoming
impaired by fatigue if you experience some of
these characteristics:
Yawning,
daydreaming.
Difficulty
keeping your head up, eyes open, blurry vision.
Feeling
sluggish, hungry, thirsty.
Droning or
humming in the ears.
Don’t notice a
vehicle until it suddenly passes.
Don’t recall
driving the last few kilometres.
Driving speed
creeps up or down.
Wandering over
the centre-line, into another lane or shoulder.
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What Drivers Can Do |
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The problem
with fatigue is that it slowly develops and
drivers often don’t realize they’re too tired to
drive safely. Once fatigue sets in, there is
little you can do about it except stop driving
as soon as possible.
Physical
activity, loud music, opening a window or eating
might provide a short boost of energy, but these
really only mask fatigue. When drivers return to
sit still and perform repetitive tasks such as
driving, sleep returns quickly.
Plan to drive
refreshed and alert.
The only cure
for sleepiness is sleep. Get enough sleep.
Don’t drink
even small amounts of alcohol when tired.
Alcohol interacts with and adds to drowsiness.
Avoid driving
between midnight and 6 a.m. Scheduling a trip at
another time is a simple way to reduce risk,
especially if the drive is long.
As soon as you
become sleepy, the key is to stop driving. Let a
passenger drive or stop and get adequate sleep
before continuing a trip.
Take frequent
breaks if driving for long periods.
Medications may
cause drowsiness. Check with your pharmacist if
you’re taking prescription or over-the counter
drugs.
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