Drowsy driving a bad situation for you and other motorists.

While reading my AAA Horizons news paper, I found a great article I thought I should share with everyone. The dangers of driving while drowsy. AAA Reports one in six deadly crashes and one in eight crashes causing serious injury involved a drowsy driver. Now I don’t know about you but I think those statistics hit to close to home.

Considering most of us drive to work every morning drowsy and tired and still trying to wake up, it was a bit scary for me to read that. Years ago when my “going out to have fun” time started at 10 p.m. there was plenty of times when I used to drive while sleepy and almost falling asleep at the wheel towards the end of the night. It is a scary situation! I understand no one wants to pull over and take a nap when your so close to home or even when your in the middle of no where But remember it could be the difference between life or death. That 30 minute nap could save your life or even some one else! I can sit here all day and bore you with graphs charts and statistics but I won’t. Better yet I’ll help you recognize the signs of drowsy driving and how to help prevent it.

Signs that you are too tired to drive:

  • Hard time keeping your eyes open and having heavy eye lids.
  • Trouble keeping your head up.
  • Drifting out of your lane, hitting rumble strips.
  • Forgetting the last few mile you drove.
  • Driving through traffic lights and signs.
  • Yawning a lot

Ways to prevent drowsy driving:

  • Get plenty of sleep (7 hours is recommended)
  • STOP DRIVING if sleepy. When you are that tired you can fall asleep easily.
  • Drive during times your normally awake.
  • Break every 2 or so hours.
  • Drink caffeine, Caffeine takes a minimum of 30 minutes to enter the blood stream.
  • Travel with a passenger that can stay awake
  • Open your window to get some wind blowing on your face if you start to feel tired
I hope this helps you realize the dangers of drowsy driving, and can help you or a loved one. It is the season of traveling and these little tips could save your life! Happy New Year everyone!