Driving Drowsy or Drunk_______ 

Same Thing?          

     

   While most of our vehicles are sitting idle, this may be a good time to consider our fitness to drive before the rat race resumes. And we don't mean going to the gym.

   Drowsy driving is responsible for tens of thousands of injuries and hundreds of deaths every year. One agency believes drowsy-related fatalities may be closer to 6,000/year.

   Get this: About half of adult drivers in the U.S. admit to consistently getting behind the wheel while feeling drowsy. Some 20 percent admit to falling asleep (!) over the past year. (We share the road with them every day.)  

   Like drugs, alcohol, eating or texting while driving, drowsy drivers have less ability to recognize and avoid hazards. Driving after being without sleep for 20 hours is equivalent to driving with a blood-alcohol reading of 0.08 percent. 

   Experts advise reading medication labels, looking for side effects.

   If we drift out of lane, miss road signs or turns or have trouble maintaining speed, we could pull over and take a break.

   Most of us consider ourselves to be "good drivers." But............  

Sources:

National Highway Traffic Safety Admin.

National Institute of Medicine 

National Sleep Foundation

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

      Jimmy