A new online study conducted in Ontario shows that men are more likely than women to fall asleep while driving. Nearly a quarter of men surveyed said they swerved due to tiredness, and almost one-third said they were worried about getting into an accident because they were tired.
In a separate study, the Henry Ford Hospital Sleep Disorders and Research Centre in Detroit has found that driving while sleepy is almost as bad as driving drunk. The risk almost doubles for getting in an accident if driving while sleepy.
“Just four hours of sleep loss will produce as much impairment as a six-pack. If you have a whole night of sleep loss, that’s equivalent to having a blood alcohol content of 0.19,” says Christopher Drake, an associate of the Detroit Sleep Centre.
The Vancouver Sun offers some helpful tips to stay alert while driving, especially as summer vacations and family road trips increase:
- Get a good sleep the night before you leave,
- Inform your kids that breaks will be for the driver,
- Plan at least one rest stop on long trips,
- If travelling with another driver, switch every few hours,
- Stop for breaks even if you don’t feel tired.
Don’t push yourself and drive when you’re too tired. It could prove deadly.
