Drowsy Driving Prevention Week to alert motorists about dangerous practice causing deadly crashes

PHOENIX - Sleepy motorists may be far more dangerous than anybody thought---just as bad as drunk drivers.

One in every six deadly car crashes involves a drowsy driver according to a study done by AAA.

And one in eight crashes causing serious injury involves a drowsy driver.

In light of these findings, and in recognition of Drowsy Driving Prevention Week (Nov. 6-12), the National Sleep Foundation and AAA Arizona want motorists to be alert to the underestimated dangers of this far too common practice.

Nearly all drivers say they know drowsy driving is an unacceptable behavior, yet almost one third admitted to driving while drowsy in the past month, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety .

"In many ways, driving drowsy is similar to driving drunk. Awareness decreases, reaction time slows, judgment is impaired, and your risk of crashing skyrockets," said Linda Gorman, director of communications and public affairs for AAA Arizona .

"What's more, drivers have a tendency to underestimate the impact being tired has on their driving, which puts themselves and others at risk."

In 2010 study, the AAA Foundation commissioned a study and published the results in Asleep at the Wheel.

They found that motorists are not taking the dangers of drowsy driving seriously—even though many say they had fallen asleep at the wheel.

And the foundation's 2011 Traffic Safety Culture Index revealed additional findings related to drowsy driving which include:

• 32 percent of drivers admitted to driving while "so sleepy [they] had a hard time keeping [their] eyes open" in the last month.
• Two out of every five drivers admit to having fallen asleep at the wheel at some point, with one in 10 saying they had done so in the past year.
• More than eight out of 10 (82 percent) view it as unacceptable for someone to drive when they are having trouble keeping their eyes open.
• More than half of drivers (56 percent) rate people driving when they are sleepy as a very serious safety threat.

In honor of Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, AAA Arizona offers the following tips to avoid driving drowsy:

• Get plenty of sleep (at least seven hours) the night before a long trip.
• Stop driving if you become sleepy; someone who is tired could fall asleep at any time.
• Travel at times when you are normally awake, and stay overnight rather than driving straight through.
• Schedule a break every two hours or every 100 miles.
• Do not rely on caffeine to keep you awake. Individuals react to caffeine differently, and they also feel the effects at different times. Therefore, caffeinated beverages should not be used as a substitute for sleep.
• Travel with a passenger who is well-rested and awake. Vehicles in which the driver was accompanied by a passenger were nearly 50 percent less likely to be involved in a drowsy driving related crash.

The AAA Foundation has posted even more valuable information on how to avoid the dangers of drowsy driving online.

Take the AAA’s Sleep Quiz online .