It’s World Sleep Day.
Today we celebrate sleep and its importance for overall health and safe driving. Serpentine Dental Care is pleased to announce that it will be working with Arrive Alive to increase public awareness about the prevalence and hazards of
drowsy driving.
DROWSY DRIVING FACTS
A drowsy driver is an unsafe driver
People who sleep 6-7 hours a night are twice as likely to be involved in a crash than those who sleep 8 hours a night.
Being drowsy doesn’t stop people from driving.
2005 National Sleep Foundation Poll:
60% of adult drivers had driven while feeling drowsy in past year
37% of people said they had fallen asleep at the wheel
13% said they did so once a month
nearly 25% of adults said they know someone personally who crashed due to falling asleep while driving
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates:
100,000 police-reported crashes as direct result of sleepy drivers annually
Drowsy driving is responsible for 1,550 deaths and 71,000 injuries a year
Young adults (18-29)
more likely to have driven drowsy (71%)
account for nearly 2/3 of drowsy driving crashes
more vulnerable to effects of sleep deprivation
Men are more likely to drive drowsy than women (56% vs. 45%) and are almost twice as likely to fall asleep at the wheel.
Risk factors for adverse effects of sleep deficiency on driving
Sleep deficiency
Sleep disorders (eg. Obstructive Sleep Apnea)
Insufficient sleep (acute or chronic) – recreational/occupational sleep loss
Circadian disruption (eg. Shift workers)
Age – risk of sleep-related lapses of attention due to sleep loss is greatest in young people and declines with age
Medication/drug use –
sedative effect of alcohol increases the risk of drowsy driving crashes
sedative effect of alcohol persists for more than 6 hours after drinking alcohol, even after alcohol is not detectable in blood
Sleep deficiency
Slows reaction time
Raises risk: attentional failures and sleep attacks
Impairs judgment, increases risk taking
Makes people more distractable, fast and sloppy
Hinders perception of objects in visual field
Increases eyelid closure; risk of falling asleep
Degrades cognitive performance
Interferes with memory formation
Induces loss of situational awareness, even when eyes are open
Slows thinking; can induce automatic behaviour
Number of hours awake
17-19 hours awake: performance impairment comparable to blood alcohol of 0.05%, slowing response speeds by up to 50% and significantly degrading accuracy.
24 hours awake: impairment comparable to blood alcohol of 0.10%.
Time of day
Peak drowsy driving danger times:
5-8am (primary nighttime peak)
3-5pm (secondary midday peak)
Size of Time of Day peaks are INCREASED by sleep deficiency
Size of Time of Day peaks are DECREASED when sleep is sufficient
Sleep history
Loss of 5 hours of sleep for 1 night increases risk of lapses of attention the next day by more than 300%.
Reaction time performance and memory worsen each successive day that insufficient sleep is obtained.
Prevention – Drowsy driving is preventable
Get enough sleep: Most adults need 7-8 hours. Teens/young adults need 8-9 hours.
Develop good sleeping habits such as sticking to a sleep schedule.
If you have a sleep disorder such as snoring or feeling sleepy during the day, talk to a sleep specialist about treatment options (snorers fall asleep more often at the wheel than non-snorers).
Avoid drinking alcohol or taking medications that make you sleepy.
Call to Action
Increase public recognition of the prevalence and hazards of drowsy driving
Initiate public education campaign
Change individual perception of community expectations
Start getting statistics – no “breathalyser” therefore drowsy driving is often underreported unless a driver admits to falling asleep
