dwd-a danger that causes car accident

Nearly 100,000 car accidents each year is caused by DWD--Driving While Drowsy. Approximately 1,500 people are killed in car accidents because of it. According to sleep experts, driving tests on someone being awake for 18 to 19 hours results in the similar findings as someone who has an alcohol level of .1.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a typical automobile accident related to DWD--driving while drowsy--has the following characteristics:

The problem occurs during late night/early morning or mid afternoon.
The car accident is likely to be serious.
A single vehicle leaves the roadway.
The automobile accident occurs on a high-speed road.
The driver does not attempt to avoid the car accident.
The driver is alone in the vehicle.

Although no driver is immune, the people highest at risk are young people (ages 16 to 29), especially males; shift workers whose sleep is disrupted by working at night or working long or irregular hours; and people with untreated sleep apnea syndrome or narcolepsy.

Studies have showed that taking a short nap (about 15 to 20 minutes) and consuming caffeine equivalent to two cups of coffee do make a short-term difference. However, other suggestions such as opening a window or listening to the radio have not proven to remedy DWD.

If you are too drowsy to drive, pull over and rest. Call a friend to pick you up. Do something so you and all the other drivers and passengers on the road are not injured or killed because of your driving while drowsy.

In my practice, I have represented families who have suffered because someone else caused an automobile accident because they were too tired to drive safely. Families can be forever changed because of a car accident. I have seen it happen too many times!