TZD Tuesday - Drowsy Driving

The holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year, but for many, it is also the busiest. The return of gatherings will encourage many of us to pile on one more holiday party, one more dinner with friends, and one more mad-dash shopping spree. The rat race can be fun, but driving drowsy can be deadly. A Drowsy Driver is an unsafe driver. Lack of sleep negatively impacts performance. It slows reaction time, impairs judgment, situational awareness and increases lapses in attention and risk-taking. According to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, people who sleep 6 to 7 hours a night are twice as likely to be involved in a crash as those sleeping 8 hours or more. People sleeping less than 5 hours increase their risk four to five times.

Before hitting the road be sure to:

• Get a good night's sleep. While this varies, the average person requires about 8 hours of sleep a night.
• Schedule regular stops.
• Avoid alcohol and medications (over-the-counter and prescribed) that may impair your driving. Alcohol interacts with fatigue increasing its effects - just like drinking on an empty stomach.

While on the road be alert for warning signs of fatigue, for example, drivers who:

• Can't remember the last few miles driven.
• Drift from their lanes or hit a rumble strip.
• Experience wandering or disconnected thoughts.
• Yawn repeatedly.
• Have difficulty focusing or keeping their eyes open.
• Tailgate or miss traffic signs.
• Have trouble keeping their head up.

If you recognize warning signs:

• Never count on the radio, open windows or use other "tricks" to keep them awake.
• Respond to symptoms of fatigue by finding a safe place to stop for a break.

Surviving the holiday season this year can be as simple as driving smart by staying alert, slowing down, paying attention, planning a sober ride and always buckling up.