studies and between groups of different ages or cultures. crash reports in North Carolina showed the majority of the nonalcohol, drowsy-driving
in developing successful educational approaches. In
They found only a few scientific
The panel noted that the wake-up effects from remedial approaches to existing
Employers, unions, and shift workers are potential target audiences for education on
alarm. University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, Kate Georges
(National Sleep Foundation, 1995). literature upon which the major concepts or opinions of the panel report are based. throughout the day. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Institutes of Health. midafternoon (Studies of police crash reports: Pack et al., 1995; Knipling, Wang, 1994;
The panel believes that an initial focus on
is convenient and rapidly administered over repeated measurements. Driving patterns, including both time of day and amount of time driven, can increase
Ohayon, Priest, Caulet, et al., 1997). 1996; Langlois et al., 1985; Lavie et al., 1986; Mitler et al., 1988; Horne, Reyner 1995b;
Laboratory studies using a driver simulator or performance tests that examine the
causes of sleepiness and drowsy driving in people without sleep disorders are sleep
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Forrest Council,
wakefulness, the more pressure builds for sleep and the more difficult it is to resist
for drowsy-driving crashes. sleepiness is an underrecognized feature of noncommercial automobile crashes. pain (Carskadon, 1993b). To minimize disruption and help employees adjust to
experimenting and taking risks, and testing limits. time or miles (exposure), the use of sedating medication, sleep disorders such as sleep
A few
equivalent of two cups of coffee; taking a 20-minute nap, and after the nap, driving to
alert) (Regina et al., 1974; Lumley et al., 1987; Griffiths et al., 1990; Lorist et al.,
Shift workers who completed a 4-month
Key
impairment that could assist investigating officers in attributing a crash to sleepiness. are not invariably linked with impaired driving. sleepiness and alcohol interact, with sleep restriction exacerbating the sedating effects
In
have the greatest negative effects on alertness (Rosenthal et al., 1993a; Gillberg, 1995). to complete collapse, is another major symptom of narcolepsy that increases the risk of
The effects of sleep
This Context, Raise Public Awareness About Drowsy-Driving Risks and How To Reduce Them, Educate Shift Workers About the Risks of Drowsy Driving and How To Reduce Them, Other Organizations Can Provide Drowsy Driving Education. sleepiness during this time period, which is a circadian sleepiness peak and a usual time
performance based and in vehicle, linked to alerting devices designed to prevent the
Examples include brain wave monitors, eye-closure
requirements to distinguish these different crash causes, misclassification and
selected for citation reflect the higher levels of evidence available on the topic and
following: Shift work may increase the risk of drowsy-driving crashes. Naitoh (1992)
or to risky behavior associated with crashes. Although males up to age 45 have increased crash risks, the panel
sleepiness. may rely on surrogate mea- sures of sleepiness, such as duration of sleep in a recent
The driver does not attempt to avoid the crash. common causes of acute sleep loss. Critical aspects of driving impairment associated with sleepiness are reaction time, vigilance, attention, and information processing. Wiki User. panel; when possible, more recent material or reviews are preferentially cited. Driving simulation tests specifically show
The crash occurs on a high-speed road. times are inconsistent with the natural sleep-wake cycle. drive may help make up for sleep loss in the short term and enhance wakefulness during the
Sleep Loss ; Driving Patterns ; The Use of Sedating Medications ; Untreated Sleep Disorders: Sleep Apnea Syndrome and Narcolepsy The panel could
performance (Dinges et al., 1987; Hamilton et al., 1972; Williams et al., 1959). and wakefulness, restriction of sleep, and/or interruption or fragmentation of sleep. and point out the risks and possible consequences of drowsy driving. The terms "fatigue" and "inattention" are sometimes used
in about three of four fall-asleep crashes (Pack et al., 1995). symptoms to diagnosis of narcolepsy averages 10 years (American Thoracic Society, 1994;
IV. Some, but not all,
The MSLT and MWT were developed for neuro- physiologic assessment and are sensitive to
Being awakened by driving over a rumble strip is a warning to change sleep and driving
Untreated or unrecognized sleep disorders, especially sleep
planning time and creating an environment for uninterrupted, restorative sleep (good sleep
An ideal measure of sleepiness would be a physiologically based screening tool that is
The behavioral steps discussed earlier for younger males also seem reasonable for
The driver does not attempt to avoid a crash. crash. critical to safe driving (Dinges, Kribbs, 1991). Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research
incidence. The Stanford Sleepiness
people (Horne, Reyner, 1995a; Dinges et al., 1987; Philip et al., 1997). The current tools for the assessment of sleepiness are based on questionnaires and
negative effects this choice can have on health and functioning (Mitler et al., 1988). Although evidence is limited or inferential, chronic predisposing factors
Shift workers, many of whom are already chronically sleep deprived, are at extra
public. As detailed in section III, the greatest proportion of drowsy-driving crashes
dose-response manner (Stradling et al., 1991; Philip et al., 1996; Hanning, Welch, 1996;
Carskadon (1990) offers a variety of age-specific reasons for the involvement of younger
in fall-asleep crashes. driving; in this context, raise public and policymaker awareness about drowsy-driving
These steps include stopping driving altogether, if possible; consuming the caffeine
The
Sleepiness causes auto crashes because it impairs performance and can ultimately lead to the inability to resist falling asleep at the wheel. is not okay to drive when you are sleepy. The scale correlates with standard
neurobiologically based sleepiness contributes to human error in a variety of settings,
Educate shift workers about the risks of drowsy-driving and how to reduce them. rapid and suitable for repeated administration (Mitler, Miller, 1996). of the population with symptomatic sleep apnea (Strohl, Redline, 1996). have higher risks than do females or other age groups across all drug classes. Senior Research Psychologist
The problem occurs during late-night hours. such as night workers, air crews, and travelers who cross several time zones, can
crash risk (Redelmeier, Tibshirani, 1997). Cleveland Veterans Administration Hospital, Sharon L.
A patient who can recognize impending
many of which are appropriate for all public audiences: Sleepiness is a serious risk for young male drivers. In North Carolina, males were found to be at the wheel
that can cause sleepiness, such as SAS and narcolepsy, are other health care-related
Currently, States use different definitions and have varying reporting
attitudes about sleep cause many Americans to get inadequate sleep either occasionally
five men (20.2 percent) and almost one in six women (15 percent) work other than a daytime
commercial and noncommercial driving. It occurs during late night/ early morning or mid-afternoon. quantification. category for reporting sleepiness as a crash cause. to fatigue and inattention, and given the lack of objective tests or uniform reporting
Laboratory studies explain and predict these patterns. going off the road (McCartt et al., 1996). crashes, on-the-job errors, and on-the-job personal injuries due to sleepiness) and more
However, nappers are often groggy
When this approach is not practical and
The panel recognizes that limitations in resources will not allow NCSDR/NHTSA to
of sleepiness have chosen ratings 1 or 2. The effectiveness of any
electrophysiological measures of sleep, and there is interest in vehicle-based monitors. sleepiness and sleep disorders (National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, 1993). Sleepiness causes auto crashes because it impairs performance and can ultimately lead to the inability to resist falling asleep at the wheel. Findley and
President
before a crash (Wang, Knipling, Goodman, 1996). educational opportunities to convey key drowsy-driving messages. socializing. The number of off-road deviations by the driver was 4 times
Panel Chairman Director, Center for Sleep Disorders Research
and alcohol consumption. were more likely to report having sometimes or very often driven drowsy (McCartt et al.,
Although many shift workers are not in a position to change or affect their
sleep can reduce sleep debt. been used along with questionnaires for field assessment of driver sleepiness (Philip et
2017-03-07 19:52:48. strategies that enable some workers to adapt successfully to this situation are not well
The crash will likely be serious B.) To assist the educational campaign in developing its educational
al., 1994; Horne, Baumber, 1991; Horne, Gibbons, 1991). schedule. Joy Mara of Joy R. Mara Communications for her assistance in the writing of this report. Driving between midnight and 6 a.m. is a high-risk situation. technology, alerting devices, industrial accidents, and shift work). Across the 24-Hour Day, Figure 2. Characteristics of Drowsy-Driving Crashes, V.
regularly produces feelings of sleepiness during the afternoon and evening, even among
In the
risk for excessive sleepiness because of the following: The panel felt that vulnerability may be further increased when young people use
to sleepiness. New York State GTSC Sleep Task Force, 1994; New York State Task Force on Drowsy Driving,
The proportion of crashes is
But, in addition, when alcohol involvement was combined with fatigue
The reasons young males have more crashes than do young females
of alcohol, and the combination adversely affecting psychomotor skills to an extent
passenger drive or stopping to sleep before continuing a trip. long or irregular hours. shift workers and those suffering from jet lag adapt to and overcome circadian phase
(e.g., a more alert driver can take over); consuming the caffeine equivalent of two cups
and Sleepiness, II. 1 answer. performance, and normal mood (Dinges et al., 1997). intermediate risk, based on subjective reports of their having higher levels of sleepiness
Pack and colleagues (1995) found that most sleepiness-related crashes occur at
1 . factors in predicting crashes related to sleepiness (which this report called
that exist tend to address the biological feasibility of reducing drowsiness or improving
does not permit younger drivers to drive during late night hours (e.g., after midnight). The driver does not attempt to avoid a crash. Section II lists some of the technological in-vehicle monitors designed to detect and
and further disrupt the sleep schedule. Scale (ESS) (Johns, 1991) is an eight-item, self-report measure that quantifies
Strictly speaking, fatigue is the consequence of physical labor or a prolonged
recommended three priorities for the campaign. defining risk factors and high-risk groups than the data on sleepiness or drowsiness. "fatigue") were duration of the most recent sleep period, the amount of sleep in
They are not a
Nurses on rotating schedules reported more "accidents" (including auto
In the New York State survey, nearly one-half the drowsy drivers who crashed (and
performance on vigilance tasks (Naitoh, 1992). . effects. fragmented by frequent interruptions (Marcus, Loughlin, 1996). 1994). Wakefulness Test (MWT) (Mitler et al., 1982). Practical issues with this strategy include the inability of some people to take short
it occurs. behavioral, medical, alerting devices, and shift work. Score .9915 User: The effect that an emotion has on your ability to drive depends upon the . found that short naps every 6 hours during a 35-hour (otherwise sleepless) period was
campaign. sleepiness while driving, and in many studies a majority of shift workers admit having
typical crash related to sleepiness has the following characteristics: The problem occurs during late night/ early morning or midafternoon.