RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — With Daylight Savings approaching, officials are urging people to take the necessary steps to ensure they avoid driving while tired.
This Sunday, we will be losing an hour of sleep, resulting in many people feeling more drowsy than usual Monday morning. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 18% of all traffic death between 2017 and 2021 involved a drowsy driver. This equates to around 30,000 fatalities.
Drowsiness can affect drivers in a number of ways, according to the foundation:
- Reduces alertness while driving
- Impairs judgment and decision making ability
- Causes lapses in consciousness
- Creates drivers’ misperception of tiredness
Morgan Dean, the Mid-Atlantic spokesperson for AAA, said that, even though it is unrealistic to ask people to not drive while they are tired, they can take steps to ensure they are not too drowsy.
He said going to bed a little earlier the night before, drinking extra coffee in the morning, switching off with someone while driving and even pulling to a rest stop to take a quick nap are all things people can do to avoid drowsy driving.
“If you start to notice you don’t remember the last couple of miles you’ve driven, maybe you’re starting to move to one side of the lane or the other, you can’t really concentrate on the road in front of you, that’s when you need to get off the roadway,” Dean said.
Dean said the main way to combat drowsy driving is to prepare ahead of time. People can take steps like cleaning dirty windshields, avoiding heavy meals that make you drowsy and taking breaks every couple of hours. Doing these simple things will not only make the Daylight Saving transition easier, but also make your drive safer.
“Our encouragement for drivers, and really everyone out there, is to make sure they’re getting enough sleep,” Dean said. “Be focused on all those different things before you get behind the wheel, understanding how important it is to be awake, be focused and avoiding all those distractions.”
Richmond resident Brian Weatherford, said that he has driven while drowsy many times in the 35 years he has been driving. He said extra coffee and sleep are the most effective ways he stays alert during his drives. Although, he said he is still going to struggle Monday morning.
Weatherford said people should do what they can to avoid driving drowsy, and get off the road if they feel themselves getting too tired.
“I know Monday morning, I’m going to be tired,” Weatherford said. “An extra hour, that hour makes a difference.”
