Getting dozy on a 6 am commute, or after a long night out, drivers often resort to “tricks” for staying awake on the road. But does chilly air or loud music really keep your eyes from drifting to narrow slits? It seems not, as a steep 60 percent of American adults have admitted to drowsy driving. 37 percent have fallen asleep at the wheel, and 13 percent say they do it at least once per month, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
Ironically, the stats may be skewed, officials say, because people who are asleep are (guess what?) not great judges of how aware they are. One of the symptoms of drowsy driving is not being able to recall the last few minutes of the road or passing landmarks. Yet rarely do drivers stop to check if they have been conscience of the last few minutes. How many times recently have you arrived at your location with only a vague awareness of the last 30 minutes.
The truth is, there’s only one true way to prevent the road doze—get more sleep. Rocket science, it seems, but a 20 minute power nap sounds much more preferable than becoming one of the 1,550 fatalities caused by drowsy drivers each year. Sleep on it.
