Sleep Deprived During a Drive

The scariest parts of my childhood were not monsters hiding under my bed or ghosts, but being a helpless little girl in my poor sleep-deprived father’s car. Nothing could be seen in the pitch black night besides the immediate front of the car lit by headlights. The drive home felt long and grueling, complete silence in the car with my little sisters sleeping in the back. My father would then ask me, the only other person awake, to say something to keep him awake. I felt the immense pressure riding on my storytelling skills with failure meaning possible death. We managed to escape the sleepy hands of death each time, but the anxiety never left even as I now drive the road.

Drunk drivers are a prime example of extreme danger for themselves and others on the road, but not enough discussion revolves around the seemingly innocent but in fact fatal sleep-deprived drivers. Lack of sleep does not sound too harmful at first, since a day or two of staying up past midnight is fairly normalized in work and school environments. However, this is the ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ of drivers, as sleep can creep onto anyone driving without mercy. More and more people are becoming aware of this silent but deadly driving hazard, but not enough is being done to help prevent those rising numbers.

An estimated 328,000 drowsy driving crashes occur annually, with that study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety also finding that 109,000 of those drowsy driving crashes resulted in an injury and about 6,400 were fatal. In order to lessen these accidents drivers have to be present while on the road. Distractions are never okay while driving, which is something constantly restated to drivers, making such an obvious statement almost feel tedious to repeat each time. Naturally one’s mind usually leans towards thinking of phones or blasting music, but the constant desire for sleep is also such an immensely important distraction people should not overlook. Driver’s education is an incredibly important part of driving in these cases because it creates awareness amongst people of the dangers of exhaustion while driving. Information about sleep deprivation should be prominent in driver’s ed classes for college students in order to fix unhealthy sleeping patterns early to prevent possible crashes in adulthood.

Another possible solution to car crashes from sleep deprivation is advanced crash avoidance technology to alert the driver when they sense drowsiness or other dangerous driving. Forward warning collision sensors are able to detect and prevent possible crashes using sensors, such as cameras or light detection and ranging (LIDAR). Blind spot detection is another sensor providing preventative measures against crashes that is not only helpful for drowsy drivers, but also a life saver in everyday drivers, making roads safer to drive on in general. I will be the first to admit how grateful I am for my car’s blind spot detection, giving me peace of mind while driving and overall improving the experience as it’s intended purpose sought to do. It is important for drivers to note that relying on this kind of technology is not a suitable replacement for the common sense a good night’s sleep brings you, but it can definitely help to minimize damage and accidents.

Unfortunately, this type of issue does not have a way to measure how tired someone usually is while driving or quantify a person’s sleeping patterns before testing and passing for a driver’s license issuing. Instead it is the responsibility of the driver to use their common sense and remain vigilant in the car at all times. I make sure to follow these details during my car travels.

Now that I am on the road every single day, I am responsible for my life and the many lives of others who share the road alongside me. In order to prevent feeling sleepy while driving, I maintain a healthy work-life balance, ensuring I get a proper 8 hours of sleep for each day of school. Another small but huge difference I make sure to do before driving is check for any side effects of medications I have recently taken. If drowsiness is one of the side effects, I take measures in order to prevent driving during that period of time. Now that I have the ability to drive, I always offer to drive (of course when I am awake and enthusiastic) tired friends and family members. One less drowsy person on the road could be the reason for a life saved that day.

Works Cited:

“Technology Aimed at Helping Drowsy Drivers Stay Awake.” Edmunds, 12 Jan. 2012, www.edmunds.com/car-safety/technology-aimed-at-helping-drowsy-drivers-stay-awake.html+.

Fatigued Driving – National Safety Council. www.nsc.org/road/safety-topics/fatigued-driver. Accessed 27 Sept. 2022.