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Late Nights, Long Drives Can Make Holiday Driving Deadly

10 November 2000

Late Nights, Long Drives Can Make Holiday Driving Deadly, Warns National Sleep Foundation

         College Students, Young Adults at Special Risk, Experts Say

    WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 With more people on the roads during
the upcoming holiday season, the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) and the AAA
Foundation for Traffic Safety are reminding sleepy drivers that their
drowsiness can turn celebration into tragedy in just a few seconds.  College
students traveling home for the holidays may face a particular risk,
especially if they've been sacrificing sleep for studying, the organizations
said.
    "The holiday season, with its added stresses of shopping, parties,
traveling, and year-end business and semester workloads, means less sleep for
many people.  That won't necessarily keep them off the roads, although it
should," says Richard L. Gelula, NSF's executive director.
    David Willis, president of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, warns
against drivers who stay up late to party, have a few drinks, and then set out
on the road.  "Alcohol increases the risk of falling asleep behind the wheel,"
Willis says.  "When you're very tired, one drink feels like four or five.
Driving home from a party is especially dangerous because you combine alcohol
with fatigue."
    Even travelers who fly or take other public transportation can find
themselves in trouble if they drive the last leg of their trip.  "If they
don't get a good night's sleep before they travel and they don't nap during
the first part of their journey, they'll arrive tired, get into a car, and be
driving drowsy to their destination," says NSF's Gelula.
    Sleep experts recommend eight hours or more of sleep each night to
function properly. Yet most Americans get less than seven hours, a NSF survey
found.  More than half of adult drivers admitted to driving while drowsy and
younger drivers (18-29) were more likely to drive drowsy than other age
groups.  Nearly one-quarter of young drivers, including college students and
young workers, reported falling asleep at the wheel during the past year.
Younger drivers were also more likely to drive faster when they felt drowsy,
adding to their danger.
    An AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study last year identified lifestyle
factors that promote sleepy driving.  "People who hold more than one job, who
get six hours or less of sleep, or who drive between midnight and 6 a.m. are
at significantly higher risk of a drowsy driving crash," says Willis.  "Other
studies show that sleep-deprived drivers have reactions like those of people
who have been drinking alcohol.  Driving drowsy really is like driving drunk."
    For a safe holiday season, NSF urges colleges and universities, as well as
parents of college students, to join its "Drive Alert ... Arrive Alive"
campaign.  "Parents should get an idea of the schedule their college student
has been keeping and encourage their child to get a good night's sleep before
driving, even if it means delaying the trip," says Gelula.
    The National Sleep Foundation and the AAA Foundation offer the following
tips for holiday driving:

    *  Get a good night's sleep before your trip -- at least 8 hours for
       adults and 8.5-9.25 hours for teens
    *  On long trips take a passenger who stays awake to talk to the driver
    *  Schedule regular stops every 100 miles or 2 hours
    *  Avoid alcohol and medications that may impair performance
    *  Recognize signs of fatigue:  Drifting from your lane, hitting rumble
       strips, repeated yawning, difficulty focusing or keeping your eyes
       open, tailgating, or missing road signs

    "Turning up the radio and rolling down the window do NOT keep you awake,"
stresses Willis.  "The only cure for drowsiness is sleep."

    Taking a power nap can help restore alertness.  If you are feeling drowsy:

    *  Pull off into a safe area and take a brief nap (15-45 minutes).
    *  Drink a caffeinated beverage to promote short-term alertness (it takes
       about 30 minutes for caffeine to enter the bloodstream).
    *  Walk around or do a few exercises to get rid of grogginess.