Heed this warning: Youthful Motorists and Others - Be Mindful of Drowsy Driving as Daylight Saving Time Concludes This Weekend
The National Road Safety Foundation (NRSF) is a non-profit organisation that focuses on various driving safety issues, including drowsy driving, distracted driving, speeding, and more. The foundation has recently highlighted the dangers of drowsy driving, reporting that it causes around 100,000 crashes each year in the United States.
Driving while drowsy, even for a few seconds at highway speeds, can cause serious accidents. In fact, drowsy driving is more common than many might think, with over 60% of drivers in the U.S. having driven while tired. Teens are particularly at risk due to their need for more sleep, around 8-9 hours a night.
To combat drowsy driving among teens, the NRSF recommends several key strategies. Preventing driving when sleepy is crucial, particularly in high-risk times such as late night or early morning. Setting family driving agreements, such as rules like “no driving tired” or “call a parent for a ride,” empowers teens to make safe choices. Parental monitoring and involvement, using electronic or app-based monitoring with feedback for teen and parent, also improves safe behavior.
If a driver feels drowsy during a trip, pulling over safely to rest is crucial. A 20-minute nap can help combat drowsy driving. Coffee can help, but it takes about 30 minutes for caffeine to take effect. Blasting the radio or opening windows does not significantly help keep people awake while driving.
Passengers should speak up if the driver seems too tired. Experts advise looking out for warning signs of drowsy driving, such as trouble focusing, frequent blinking, daydreaming, head snapping, yawning, or drifting out of your lane, and hitting the rumble strips on the side of the road.
Daylight savings time ending this weekend increases the chance of drowsy driving, as driving more in the dark can increase the risk of accidents. Nearly 37% of drivers in the U.S. have fallen asleep behind the wheel.
For more information about drowsy driving prevention and teen driver safety, authoritative resources include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) teen driver safety pages, the National Road Safety Foundation, and driver training programs that emphasize distracted and drowsy driving dangers and safety tips. These resources offer guidelines, research-backed recommendations, and tools to help parents and teens reduce crash risks related to drowsy driving and other hazardous behaviors behind the wheel.
The National Road Safety Foundation also provides free resources on drowsy driving, such as videos, quizzes, and sleep logs, available at www.nrsf.org/programs/drowsy-driving. It's crucial for parents, teens, and everyone on the road to be aware of the dangers of drowsy driving and take steps to prevent it.
- The National Road Safety Foundation, in their focus on driving safety, has recognized sleep deprivation among general-news topics, highlighting that drowsy driving contributes to around 100,000 accidents annually in the United States.
- In the context of health-and-wellness and driving, the NRSF recommends addressing drowsy driving among teens, stressing the importance of recognizing the signs (such as yawning or drifting out of your lane), setting family driving agreements, and implementing parental monitoring to ensure safe behavior.
- While discussing science and road safety, it is essential to note that daylight savings time ending can increase drowsy driving incidents, as driving more in the dark can enhance the risk of accidents. To counteract this, resources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Road Safety Foundation provide guidelines and tools to reduce crash risks related to drowsy driving and other hazardous behaviors.
