Sleepy? Don’t drive.
Driving sleep deprived is extremely dangerous! Many Allen County
teens drive after sleepless nights or with chronic sleep deprivation. Fatigue
slows reaction time, reduces alertness, can blur vision and make defensive
driving very difficult.
There is also the possibility of falling asleep behind the wheel. It is not
just bad drivers that fall asleep behind the wheel; good drivers do it, too.
Crashes that result from the driver falling asleep at the wheel are usually
more serious because the driver does not awake in time to slow down or take
corrective action. Every year, falling asleep while driving is responsible
for at least 100,000 automobile crashes, 40,000 injuries, and 1,550
fatalities.*
Nobody plans on falling asleep and crashing into another vehicle or tree,
but
people make mistakes. Most teens usually don't recognize the warning
signs for being too drowsy to drive. Caution your teen about the deadly
effects of driving fatigued.
Driving while fatigued jeopardizes your life and the lives of everyone on
the road. Many people try to overcome drowsiness by turning up the radio,
opening the window, eating, etc., but none of these quick fixes are
effective. They may make you more awake for about two minutes, but then you
are back where you started. The best thing to do is to pull over on the side
of the road and take a short 20-minute nap.
*National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
