sometimes or very often than were those who said their sleep was good or excellent
crashes; their value with other types of sleepiness or inattention crashes or other types
true Exceeding the speed limit or driving too fast for conditions is not a contributing factor in the vast majority of fatal motor vehicle crashes. before bedtime) (Richardson et al., 1982; see figure 1). slept involuntarily on the night shift. Young people. ethanol concentrations. F. rom high-profile politicians and celebrities to the general population, people often
even one night of sleep may cause extreme sleepiness. dependent on both the presentation of the instructions and the subject's interpretation of
reduce lifestyle- related risks. are 5 times more likely than females to be involved in drowsy-driving crashes (Wang,
Sleepiness causes auto crashes because it impairs performance and can
survey of lifetime incidents, 82 percent of drowsy-driving crashes involved a single
could suggest that teens call a friend or a parent for a ride or let a friend drive home
before driving again. Weegy: There were more than 12,000 people injured in alcohol-related crashes in Florida. are not clear because both young men and young women are likely to be chronically
Horne and Reyner (1995a) suggest that a combination of having more of the chronic and
Critical aspects of driving impairment associated with sleepiness are reaction time, vigilance, attention, and information processing. Huntley, Centybear, 1974; Peeke et al., 1980). and more of the chronic or acute factors that underlie risk for everyone. driving risks. A typical crash related to sleepiness has the following characteristics. According to the National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, a typical crash has the following characteristics: It is likely to be serious. people who perform shift work-and are thus exposed to crash risk-is increasing. A single vehicle leaves the roadway. drowsy-driving crashes. ; Before you drive, avoid taking medicines that make you sleepy. Director National Center on Sleep Disorders Research
The panel would like to thank the following people for their assistance in reviewing and
when shift work precludes normal nighttime sleep, planning a time and an environment to
In response, Congress allocated funds for a public education campaign on drowsy driving
higher speeds, attributing this finding to the effect of sleep loss on reaction time. To prevent drowsy driving and its consequences, Americans need information
caffeine equivalent to two cups of coffee may help improve alertness for a short period. experience in maintaining alertness (Arbus et al., 1991; Hansotia, 1997). To assist the NCSDR/NHTSA in developing its educational initiatives, the panel
roadways with speed limits of 55 to 65 mph (Knipling, Wang, 1994; Wang, Knipling, Goodman,
a method for objectively assessing sleepiness at the crash site also would enable better
conditions are undiagnosed and untreated, unaware of the potentially serious consequences
Drinking alcohol increases sleepiness, and the combination of alcohol and
sleepiness and alcohol interact, with sleep restriction exacerbating the sedating effects
they "need" said they were sleepy during the day. manner by which law enforce- ment officers can assess and report crashes resulting from
strips in perspective. Many Americans are unaware of the
loss of one night's sleep can lead to extreme short-term sleepiness, while habitually
All drivers who experience the chronic or acute situations described in section IV are
influence on reducing the need for sleep. evidence, such as police crash reports and driver self-reports following the event, and
Untreated or unrecognized sleep disorders, especially sleep
sleep loss, aggravating their risk of drowsy driving. When a driver becomes drowsy, the most obvious behavioral step for avoiding a crash is
"sleepiness" in a continuum along a 100-mm line (Wewers, Low, 1990). typical crash related to sleepiness has the follow-ing characteristics: The problem occurs during late night/ early morning or midafternoon. that can cause sleepiness, such as SAS and narcolepsy, are other health care-related
as alerting devices, but they will not protect drivers who continue to drive while drowsy. sleepy a driver is or a threshold at which driver sleepiness affects safety. sleep-deprived. Medical systems have been successful in identifying only a fraction
crash risk (Redelmeier, Tibshirani, 1997). effective alerting device may prevent one crash, a driver who falls asleep once is likely
Ph.D
life. Biology of Human Sleep and Sleepiness, III. targeted only the younger group to enable specific tailoring of educational messages to
effects on performance of sleepiness, sleep loss, and the combined effects of sleep loss
generally recommended in an educational campaign as a drowsy-driving countermeasure
likely to be low and awareness will need to be raised. Critical aspects
In
Several approaches have been effective in reducing sleepiness caused by working
risks for drowsy driving and effective countermeasures. You can take effective steps to reduce your risks. More than one in three New York State drivers surveyed in drowsy-driving crashes said they
Studies were performed in the morning
during late night/early morning hours increases risk for all drivers because those hours
et al., 1995). As noted in section II, external and internal factors and current lack of knowledge and
The scale correlates with standard
people taking more than one sedating drug simultaneously (Ray et al., 1992). Driving patterns, including both time of day and amount of time driven, can increase
However, focus groups of youth in New York State revealed that drowsy-driving
Acute sleep loss, even the loss of one
The behavioral steps discussed earlier for younger males also seem reasonable for
collected in a laboratory using a driving simulator. As in the SSS,
in recent times" in situations like sitting and reading, watching TV, and sitting in
schedule. The crash is likely to be serious. The crash occurs on a high-speed road. Some evidence exists that napping before a long
extended or night shift are special risks for a drowsy-driving crash. messages, which some believe are already overemphasized (New York GTSC Sleep Task Force,
wakefulness. This latest study also found that fatigue contributed to crashes at much higher rates than was previously believed and is a contributing factor in 12% of all crashes and in 10% of all near-crashes. Performance Slows With Sleep
(acute sleepiness) or routinely (chronic sleepiness). Many also were unlikely to use a rest area when they were driving alone at
subjective sleep measures in this scale show strong covariation and relation to sleep
Some of these devices contain alarms or other alerting devices
Expert answered| Mr.BreadMan |Points 167| Log in for more information. (MSLT) (Carskadon et al., 1986; Carskadon, Dement, 1987) and the Maintenance of
requirements to distinguish these different crash causes, misclassification and
Subjective and objective tools are available to approximate or detect
Shift workers whose sleep is disrupted by working at night or working
Although there was no formal ranking of the
At best they can help sleepy drivers stay awake and alert
In addition, patients with untreated
reported in the categories of fatigue and inattention, and it reached consensus that
A single vehicle leaves the roadway. The risks are higher with higher drug doses and for
It is widely recognized that these statistics underreport the extent
Virtually all studies that analyzed data by gender and age group found that young
and wakefulness, restriction of sleep, and/or interruption or fragmentation of sleep. However, when they sit still, perform repetitive tasks
The limitations of rumble strips. is important to give regular priority to getting good sleep by creating a quiet, cool,
CRASH CHARACTERISTICS NHTSA found that drivers had consumed some alcohol in nearly 20
sleepiness decreases performance and increases risk, even at low levels of alcohol use. head-on crashes (Knipling, Wang, 1994). Sleep disruption and
approximately every 24 hours. V on shift workers.). Both external and internal factors can lead to a restriction in the time available for
Then the driver should get off the road (e.g., at a
The panel also believes it may be worthwhile to educate
which people voluntarily adhere or can decide to ignore. In the MWT, individuals are instructed to remain awake, and the time it takes (if
to fatigue and inattention, and given the lack of objective tests or uniform reporting
following: Shift work may increase the risk of drowsy-driving crashes. literature upon which the major concepts or opinions of the panel report are based. The return to day work and morning shifts starting
Sleepiness causes auto crashes because it impairs performance and can ultimately lead to the inability to resist falling asleep at the wheel. the panel found in any category that has a demonstrated effect on crashes. The campaign also could counter common misconceptions of useful "stay awake"
The driver is alone in the vehicle. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Forrest Council,
In addition, a study of hospital house staff working around the clock (Marcus,
(Garder, Alexander, 1995; National Sleep Foundation, June 1997). psychophysiologic, and crash-prevention domains. apnea, relief of sleepiness and related symptoms is not always easily achievable for all
reducing risk in this population. In comparison with
the risk of drowsy driving in other ways. Latency To Sleep at 2-Hour Intervals
In the New York State survey, the reported frequency of drowsy driving in the past year
It also thanks Cathy Lonergan for logistical support. respondents averaged 3 hours of sleep during 33-hour on-call shifts, much of which was
This Context, Raise Public Awareness About Drowsy-Driving Risks and How To Reduce Them, Educate Shift Workers About the Risks of Drowsy Driving and How To Reduce Them, Other Organizations Can Provide Drowsy Driving Education. serious and young men are vulnerable. Driving
strips on the highway in the future could repeatedly remind people of the message. Individuals who fall asleep in 5 minutes or less are
Score .9915 User: The effect that an emotion has on your ability to drive depends upon the . of darkness. However, Maycock (1996) found that a greater absolute number
approaches that are effective for reaching high-risk audiences will need to be developed
New York State GTSC Sleep Task Force, 1994; New York State Task Force on Drowsy Driving,
times. Although the need for sleep varies among individuals, sleeping 8 hours per 24-hour period
is common, and 7 to 9 hours is needed to optimize performance (Carskadon, Roth, 1991). The strength of the inferences is
and point out the risks and possible consequences of drowsy driving. sleep-staging criteria. had drunk some alcohol (McCartt et al., 1996), and police-reported, fall-asleep crashes
acute risk factors and frequently being on the roads during nighttime hours (greater
The morbidity
Other driving time patterns that increase risk include driving a larger
Competing demands from
Characteristics of Drowsy-Driving Crashes. Administration (NHTSA) and the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR) of the
A measuring system would be
drowsiness was markedly greater during night driving than during daytime driving, with
circadian effects. biological and behavioral factors that determine these differences could provide direction
passenger drive or stopping to sleep before continuing a trip. For
At least one motor vehicle crash during the year prior to follow-up evaluation was reported by 6.9% of the 3201 participants. Director
The panel recognizes that limitations in resources will not allow NCSDR/NHTSA to
vehicle drivers (Federal Register, 1996). No measures
In the United Kingdom, fatigue related crashes have been identified using the following criteria: The vehicle has run off the road and/or collided with another vehicle or object. Carskadon (1990) offers a variety of age-specific reasons for the involvement of younger
sleep-deprived drivers who consumed caffeine reduced lane deviations, potential crashes,
Section II lists some of the technological in-vehicle monitors designed to detect and
and sleepiness for about an hour after consumption (Horne, Reyner, 1995a). However, because SAS is more common than narcolepsy, the absolute number of crashes is
combination of chronic and acute factors substantially increases crash risk. opportunities that are spaced 2 hours apart throughout the day and in which the individual
5 hours per night for 1 week needed two full nights of sleep to recover vigilance,
snoring to repeated breathing interruptions, also increases the likelihood of crashes in a
NCSDR/NHTSA
p.m. before a 4 a.m. shift) is 2 to 4 hours shorter than night sleep (kerstedt, 1995a). 1994). IV. is unaware of or denies his or her sleepiness (Aldrich, 1989). example, people with chronic sleep loss who drive in the early morning hours are likely to
The problem occurs during late-night hours. or A typical crash related to sleepiness occurs on a high-speed road. motel or rest stop) as soon as possible and sleep. Yes it is a depressant, it will cause sleepiness. Although the absolute number of crashes is low, crash risk is increased among people
Chronic sleepiness. evidence of a corrective maneuver, such as skid marks or brake lights, is usually absent
Weegy: A typical crash related to sleepiness occurs during late night/ early morning or midafternoon and is likely to be serious. The driver is alone in . messages could be lost or ignored if paired with "don't drink and drive"
disturbances such as noise, children, activity and lights, a restless spouse, or
The Sleep-Wake Cycle ; Sleepiness Impairs Performance ; The Causes of Sleepiness/Drowsy Driving ; Evaluating Sleepiness ; III. uninterrupted sleep, which may help reduce sleepiness on the job and behind the wheel. longer (Maycock, 1996). give drivers a false sense of security about driving while sleepy. studies to date have evaluated crash experiences of patients successfully treated for
These processes create a predictable pattern of two sleepiness peaks, which commonly
Although no driver is immune, the following three population groups are at
An annual average of roughly 40,000 nonfatal injuries and 1,550 fatalities result from these crashes. uncontrollable sleepiness and take precautions is less likely to be at risk than one who
The average fatality in an alcohol-related traffic crash costs $1.1 million.