If you were asked to identify a driving activity most closely associated with men and young drivers that is responsible for one out of every six roadway fatalities, would drunk driving come to mind?
A number of polls and surveys indicate that, for many, it would, since DUI-related accidents are closely linked in the minds of many people with the most serious types of crash results.
That response would be wrong, though, with many safety experts saying that it takes attention away from an equally worrisome and far more widespread driving behavior that results in consequences nationally that are every bit as severe as those resulting from drunk driving accidents.
Think drowsy driving, a behavior that drivers almost unanimously reject as being unacceptable, yet personally engage in to a high degree.
"Drivers have a tendency to underestimate the impact being tired has on their driving ability, which puts themselves and others at risk," says Peter Kissinger, the CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
Fully one third of all polled motorists admit to having been close to asleep while driving, a response rate that might actually be an underreporting.
Drivers between the ages of 16 and 24 are twice as likely as motorists 40 to 59 years old to be involved in an accident owing to drowsy driving. That variance might owe to one or more sleep-deprived close calls older drivers had when they were younger and, therefore, their greater realization of the need to be properly rested while driving.
The recipe for avoiding a drowsy driving accident is, unsurprisingly, simple and direct, and centrally includes these recommendations: Get ample sleep before an extended trip; take regular breaks while out on the road; and travel, when possible, with a well-rested companion.
Source: CBS News, "Drowsy driving common, survey shows: Guess who does it most?" Nov. 4, 2011
