Radio
Drowsy Driving
Source: NBN / CP RadioWire
Oct 21, 2003, 15:16

With the upcoming return to standard time, it will get dark outside sooner and you may begin to feel sleepy earlier in the day.  When was the last time you got behind the wheel feeling sleepy? This is a common and dangerous problem and in at least one state � New Jersey � it�s against the law.  According to the National Sleep Foundation, a person who has been awake for 18 hours has the performance equivalence of point-zero-five blood alcohol concentration, and a person awake for 24 hours performs at a point-one-zero, which is legally drunk in all states.  Darrell Drobnich from the National Sleep Foundation suggests these countermeasures to minimize sleepiness while driving:

�If you find yourself falling asleep on the road or getting fatigued, you can find a safe place, pull over � take a 15 minute nap or drive caffeine in the form of coffee, tea, cola or an energy drink such as Red Bull.�

According to a National Sleep Foundation poll, one out of five drivers has actually fallen asleep at the wheel.  A driver who falls asleep for just a couple of seconds traveling at 65 miles per hour will cover the length of a football field in that time.