Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, July 9, 1990 TAG: 9007070218
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jane E. Brody
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But some will not make it to their destinations and return safely. While there are many causes of accidents on the road - alcohol figures prominently in half of them - public health experts are calling attention to a seriously underappreciated factor: sleepy drivers.
According to current estimates, more than one driver in five has fallen asleep at the wheel at least once, and sleeping at the wheel is a central factor in 200,000 to 400,000 traffic accidents each year.
The circumstances vary widely, as these incidents show:
After lunch on a hot, sunny afternoon, a 40-year-old woman found herself driving on the median of an Interstate highway, having somehow missed hitting a road repair truck she had not seen before falling asleep.
At 11 p.m., a 60-year-old woman driving home after a long day at work and a late dinner with friends struck the rear end of a car that had stopped at a red light she never saw because she had dozed off half a block away.
A young man who had taken medication to relieve some allergies was on his way to an afternoon picnic when he awoke suddenly to find his car rolling over in a ditch.
These drivers were lucky
Countless other sleepy drivers injure or kill not only themselves but also the occupants of other vehicles. Truck drivers are a particular risk. Sleep experts say that a third of the million truck drivers on the nation's highways may be too tired to stay awake while driving or to respond quickly enough to avert an accident.
People suffering from sleep apnea are also at high risk. The disorder results in inordinate daytime fatigue, and people with this disorder are more likely than others to fall asleep at the wheel. They have five times more motor vehicle accidents than other people do, and are more likely to be at fault.
All other things being equal, elderly people are also more likely than others to doze off while driving, perhaps because their sleep habits tend to be more erratic and night sleep is often marred by insomnia.
To reduce the chances of becoming a highway statistic, you should know why drivers fall asleep and take appropriate precautions. Among the many factors experts have identified are these.
\ Insufficient sleep - Millions of Americans do not get enough sleep. They stay up late to socialize or watch television, and they rouse themselves with alarm clocks often hours before they would normally awaken. Then they use artificial stimulants, like caffeine, to mask their sleepiness during the day.
This chronic sleep debt acts as an internal sleeping pill, causing them to lose alertness or become sleepy soon after they get on the road.
\ Shift work - The body's naturally sleepy times are from midnight to 7 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The afternoon period coincides with siesta time in many countries. Thus, late-shift workers usually suffer from sleep loss or fragmented sleep.
For truck drivers, the federally mandated four-hour sleep shifts for every eight hours of driving forces them to sleep and wake up at times that are not synchronized with their bodies' natural cycles. Thus, they can be sleepy when driving even if they have got enough hours of sleep in each 24-hour period.
Police officers, firefighters, emergency medical workers and others who work variable shifts are also highly vulnerable. Shift workers have been found to have twice as many motor vehicle accidents as those who work a more natural 9-to-5 shift.
\ Food and drink - The soporific effects of a big meal or alcoholic beverages are well known. Yet millions get on the road after eating or drinking too much. And for those who start out sleep-deprived, even a small meal or one drink can induce sleep.
\ Carbohydrates - starches as well as sweet foods and drinks - are more likely than protein-rich foods to provoke sleepiness. And milk and milk-based foods and drinks, which are rich in the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan, are well known for their relaxing effect.
\ Medications - Many common medications, particularly those often used in summer, can induce drowsiness or reduce alertness, coordination, motor skills and judgment. Among them are antihistamines (found in remedies for motion sickness and colds, as well as in allergy suppressants), sedatives, tranquilizers and antidepressants. Anti-anxiety drugs like Valium are often taken without realization of their sleep-inducing potential. Even some antibiotics occasionally induce drowsiness or fatigue.
Even stimulant drugs can be a problem; while they do not make the driver sleepy, their euphoric effect can impair a driver's judgment.
\ Environment - Nearly every driver is aware of the hypnotic effects of Interstate highways, especially at night. But daytime driving on such roads can also be hypnotic, especially if it is hot or stuffy in the car.
by CNB