Dangers Of Driving While Sleepy

By Author: claire websmart
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Driving while you are tired or drowsy is extremely dangerous and something that can be avoided. The statistics are scary as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration believes that over 100,000 automobile accidents occur during a year from someone at the wheel who was fatigued and drowsy. This usually results in over 70,000 injuries and over 1500 deaths. It is estimated that at least 20% of all drivers have driven while drowsy at one time or another and you might have been one of them.

Often drivers become drowsy because they are fatigued from long hours of driving, it is too warm in the vehicle and they are traveling at a high speed with no interruptions for stops or maneuvering around cars. People who drive for a living like truck drivers are most prone to this as they are on long trips with little sleep and are usually trying to meet a deadline so push the limit on their speed and their rest.

Other people who are vulnerable to drowsy driving are those that work different shifts like the graveyard shift or work lots of hours of overtime. Mostly a drowsy driver is alone in the car without someone ...
... to alert them if they are driving erratically or drifting off. The consequences of driving while drowsy are serious enough that you should take precautions to ensure that you prevent it whenever possible.

If you are becoming drowsy or don't feel as alert you should always pull over to the side of the road or stop for a cup of coffee. Get out and stretch your legs and get some fresh air. When you return to the car and start driving again, keep the window cracked or turn the air on so it keeps it circulating. Turn the radio on or play some music but not something that will lull you to sleep. Something more stimulating that will have you singing along with it and tapping to the music.

Another option is to get someone else to drive whenever possible if you know you are too tired to drive. If worse comes to worse, stop at a motel and get some needed sleep or pull over and sleep in the car so that you are more rested and better able to tackle that road that could be the road to disaster unless you take time to ensure that you are well rested when you drive.

Be sure to talk to a doctor if you experience regular episodes of falling asleep behind the wheel. You may have an undiagnosed sleeping disorder such as sleep apnea.

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