More Colorado crashes caused by drowsy drivers
Drowsy driving is something that is dangerous, but a new study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reveals that drowsy driving is a factor in roughly ten times as many traffic fatalities as traditional crash data indicate.
According to the study, drowsy drivers are involved in 18 percent of all traffic deaths between 2017 and 2021, accounting for nearly 30,000 deaths nationwide. There were an estimated 6,725 in 2021 alone.
The risks are too high to ignore as drowsy driving impairs your judgement and reduces your alertness. It also makes it harder for you to quickly react to hazards. The study states that those who are deprived of sleep by four hours or more suffer impairment like those who drive over the blood alcohol limit. Drowsy driving can also cause momentary lapses in consciousness and many people underestimate just how tired they are on the road.
"We know people have to go to work. We know sometimes you don't get enough sleep. But when it becomes a pattern or practice in your life, then you're really, it's like being a persistently drunk driver," said Skyler McKinley, Regional Director, Public Affairs for AAA.
"That's what we're trying to get the word out. One morning you may be too tired to drive. If that is every morning, your risk for a crash goes way up. Your risk for a fatality goes way up. It's the same for serious injury."
Some of the warning signs of drowsy driving includes you're frequently yawning or blinking, you have trouble remembering the past few miles you drove, you missed your exit, drifting from your lane, or you hit a rumble strip on the side of the road.
The best way to avoid drowsy driving is to aim for at least seven hours a sleep every night. Also, a quick power nap of 20 to 30 minutes can improve your alertness. Skyler warns against relying on an energy drink to keep you awake.
"You will know it. You will feel it. You will try to push through it. Doesn't work. And you might say I can down a red bull before I get in the car, and I'll have heightened alertness. Maybe, but that's not going to be as effective as say, a 20- or 30-minute nap midway through a road trip," McKinley said.
Aside from those who don't get enough sleep, other drivers who are at greatest risk of drowsy driving are commercial truck drivers, those who work the night shift or long shifts, and commercial drivers on the road between midnight and 6 in the morning or later in the afternoon.
