Drowsy Driving Underappreciated As a Hazard

Driving and working after extended wakefulness, after a night without enough sleep, or at certain times of the day and night all can lead to fatigue and substandard driving. Drinking just makes it worse (and many arrests for drunk driving are in situations where the driver is both drunk and drowsy.

There is also the more dangerous "sleep driving". Sleep driving is defined as driving while not fully awake after ingestion of a sedative-hypnotic product, with no memory of the event.

A survey of car drivers in the United Kingdom found that 29% admitted to having felt close to falling asleep while driving in the previous year. When New York drivers were polled about a quarter reported having at some time fallen asleep at the wheel. Truckers are aware of the drowsy driving problem.

The FDA recently requested that makers of sleeping pills include stronger warning language on their labels.

Public awareness of the potential hazards of fatigue and its causes needs to be raised in general, and among drivers in particular. Employers need to understand, and take responsibility for, the impact of work-rest schedules on performance at work and on performance when driving to and from work

More references

Resources

Avoiding Drowsy Driving

Countermeasures

Responsibility and the Drowsy Driver

Signs of Drowsiness when Driving

How Well Are You Sleeping? - FDA Consumer Article

Circadian gene helps brain predict mealtime

Sleep less, live longer? - Increased Death Rate Associated
With Sleeping 8 Hours or More

Circadan Rythyms

"And miles to go before I sleep"

(Robert Frost, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening)