LifeAlert: Driving Lesson #101

I just read this article today, which I will share part of below (there's no link or I'd share that - this was a message at work), that scares me in the DC area:

Have you ever nodded off while driving and snapped awake without remembering what just happened on your journey?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that there are 100,000 police-reported crashes resulting in 1,550 deaths and 71,000 injuries annually as the result of drowsy driving.

62% of drivers drive when they are tired.

50% of fatal crashes involve single vehicle collisions where the vehicle travels off the road, rolls over, or collides with a fixed object.

40% of adults are so tired that it interferes with their daily activities.

Studies have shown that sleep-deprived drivers' reaction times and performance skills are as poor as alcohol-impaired drivers'.

There are two types of fatigue:

• Physical - A tendency toward inactivity brought on by physical exhaustion.
• Mental - A tendency toward inactivity brought on by mental or emotional stress.

Your body and mind both get tired. Recognize physical and mental fatigue so that you can be sure you never get in a vehicle when your body needs to sleep. Your brain will find the sleep it needs when you are fatigued, and falling asleep at the wheel or experiencing a microsleep (temporary loss of concentration) can happen when you least expect it.

Fatigue may be brought on by mental or physical exertion, stress, boredom, illness, or lack of sleep. Drowsy driving is now recognized as one of the leading causes of traffic crashes.

Can you imagine in this area of speeding tailgaters that 62% of them are falling asleep behind the wheel?!

Keeping a distance from the crazies (and getting enough sleep so you don't join them) is today's LifeAlert!