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We’re heading into the summer months here in the U.S. We made it through the school year- hopefully in one piece- but if you’re a parent you’re probably already exhausted thinking of how to entertain the kids and keep them off their electronic devices for 12 hours a day. Hopefully you’re also looking forward to a vacation you’ve planned, a well-deserved holiday break from the busyness of life. Unfortunately, that summer vacation will probably also make you exhausted. If you’re like me, you need a vacation from your vacation once you’re home.
What do you do when you’re tired- do you take a nap? Do you exercise? Do you depend on energy drinks for a carb-loaded pick-me-up every afternoon?
If you answered the latter, you’re not alone. Many of us often find ourselves tired and worn out, relying on our coffee or a Red Bull to get us through the afternoon slump.
But what happens when we need to drive home from the office with our mind worn out and the need for a nap? For 50 years now we have heard “Don’t Drink and Drive” and marketing campaigns have taught us about the dangers of drunk driving (although we still have a ways to go in preventing drunk driving crashes.) But how often do we hear “Don’t Drive Drowsy?” Until recently, there wasn’t much focus on fatigued driving. However, according to the National Sleep Foundation, “Research shows that sleep deprivation leads to mental impairment that is similar to drunkenness with 24 hours of sleep deprivation roughly equating to a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.10%.”
Sabrina Birch was 17 years old when she died. She was a passenger in a vehicle that veered off the road in Oklahoma and overturned when the 17-year-old driver fell asleep at the wheel.
Carrie Howl, a 33-year-old mother, was on her way to Splash Mountain with her two children and their 11-year-old cousin when a 20-year-old driver crossed the centerline and collided head on with her vehicle, killing her instantly. The driver, who had fallen asleep at the wheel, only had minor injuries.
Cindy Braddock and Jake Day left behind their three children, ages 5, 2 and 1, when Jake fell asleep while driving in the middle of the night and crashed into a field in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia in the early hours of Christmas Day. Their children survived in the flipped wreckage for two days in scorching heat before being found by a relative.
These are only 3 of the many, many stories of drowsy-driving crashes. The risk is just as great as driving while impaired.
If you’re not already, I encourage you to focus on fatigued driving and share information with your employees and their family members about the dangers of drowsy driving as well as prevention methods.
NETS has a free resource to help you with this, Managing Fatigue for the Fleet Safety Professional, a guide for fleet safety professionals responsible for managing light, medium or heavy vehicle fleets who seek to: 1) understand how fatigue impacts the safety of workers who drive as part of their job, and 2) reduce the risk of crashes and injuries resulting from fatigued driving among their drivers. Download the guide for free today and share the Fact Sheets, social media, and other resources.
The term “Don’t Drive Drowsy” needs to become just as mainstream as “Don’t Drive Drunk.” It’s time for all of us to wake up.
Safe Driving!
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