Safety groups warns of sleepy driver dangers

Web posted September 3, 1998

By Lawrence L. Knutson
Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- Sleepy people who nod off behind the wheel are just as dangerous as people who drink and drive, the safety arm of the American Automobile Association said Wednesday.

And with 33 million people expected on the highways this Labor Day weekend, a 5 percent increase over last year, sleepy, drowsing, nodding off drivers are sure to take their toll, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety said.

A foundation survey of 283 sleep specialists and highway safety experts found most techniques drivers try to keep themselves alert simply do not work.

That includes rolling down the window to get more air, listening to the radio, slipping out of one's shoes, slapping or pinching oneself, eating a snack or washing one's face in cold water.

What does work, the safety survey said, is getting adequate sleep the night before driving, getting off the road and taking naps when sleepiness strikes, exercising at rest stops and drinking coffee and other drinks containing caffeine.

``Driving when you are sleep deprived is a recipe for having a crash,'' said David Willis, the safety foundation's president.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics indicate 3.2 percent of highway fatalities last year were sleep related, but Willis said that significantly understates the problem because many states do not list sleepiness as a cause of crashes.

Dr. David F. Dinges, a University of Pennsylvania psychology professor who conducted the survey, listed the symptoms: Involuntary eye closing, yawning, feeling tired, inability to stay in lane and inattention.

You may be facing a ``sudden, uncontrolled sleep attack.'' Dinges said. ``You need to get off the road right away.''

Evidence from the experts shows caffeine can help for a short time and so can exercise, he said, recommending two minute bursts of running in place, doing jumping jacks and straight up-and-down jumps at a rest stop or other location safely off the highway. Doing neck and shoulder rolls can relax stiff muscles, he said.

``But there is no substitute for sleep and sensible trip planning,'' he said.