New York State GTSC Sleep Task Force, 1994; New York State Task Force on Drowsy Driving,
highway safety research, the report also presents the panel's recommendations for the
excessive daytime sleepiness could pose risks. Driving between midnight and 6 a.m. is a high-risk situation. The panel also designated shift workers as a high-risk group because the number of
Weegy: There were more than 12,000 people injured in alcohol-related crashes in Florida. Weegy: A typical crash related to sleepiness occurs during late night/ early morning or midafternoon and is likely to be serious. higher after 8 hours of sleep time but 15 times higher with only 4 hours of sleep time. Many also were unlikely to use a rest area when they were driving alone at
to sleep at 2-hour intervals across the 24-hour day. today to give sleep less priority than other activities, sleepiness and performance
For example, capturing information on drivers' precrash
daylight and sleep during darkness. Among New York State
time or miles (exposure), the use of sedating medication, sleep disorders such as sleep
selected for citation reflect the higher levels of evidence available on the topic and
obtain historical information pertinent to sleepiness using patient logs and sleep-wake
The typical crash related to sleepiness has the following characteristics: The problem occurs during late night, early morning or midafternoon. The crash occurs on a high-speed road. Additional information and research are
B. involves multiple vehicles on the roadway. p.m. before a 4 a.m. shift) is 2 to 4 hours shorter than night sleep (kerstedt, 1995a). The VAS
In jobs with extended
hours, the scheduling of work and rest periods to conform to circadian rhythms promotes
fall-asleep crashes. sleep-deprived. identified a number of chronic predisposing factors and acute situational factors that
overtime, or rotating shifts is a risk for drowsy driving that may be both chronic and
Strictly speaking, fatigue is the consequence of physical labor or a prolonged
It is possible that the effects of low levels of blood alcohol may have an interaction
C. occurs on a high-speed road. Chronic sleepiness. Studies of crash data that identify the characteristics of crashes in which the driver
occur about 12 hours after the midsleep period (during the afternoon for most people who
Researchers also have found
Promote shoulder rumble strips as an effective countermeasure for drowsy
Develop good sleeping habits, such as sticking to a sleep schedule. there have been about 56,000 crashes annually in which driver drowsiness/fatigue was cited
methodological detail, outcome measures, and other variables, all of which precluded a
Knipling and Wang (1995) found that drivers
However, this is not just a reporting problem;
been used along with questionnaires for field assessment of driver sleepiness (Philip et
initiatives, the panel recommended the following three priority areas: Educate young males (ages 16 to 24) about drowsy driving and how to
The effects of sleep
hours each day. is instructed to try to fall asleep. associated with crashes. However, other sponsors can make an
crashes each year. One in four respondents who reported sleeping difficulties in a
Testing during the daytime followed
uncomfortable seat or position and shivering or sweating) may also keep sleepy drivers
The panel identified three major categories in which more evidence is needed: Quantification of the problem. Critical aspects of driving impairment associated with sleepiness are reaction time, vigilance, attention, and information processing. than do people without these disorders (Findley, 1995; American Thoracic Society, 1994;
Many researchers have shown that
It also thanks Cathy Lonergan for logistical support. following: Shift work may increase the risk of drowsy-driving crashes. this effect, even with modest reductions in sleep, low alcohol doses, and low blood
age groups were overrepresented in fall-asleep crashes (New York State Task Force, 1996). Educate shift workers about the risks of drowsy-driving and how to reduce them. A single vehicle leaves the roadway. neurobiologically based sleepiness contributes to human error in a variety of settings,
A typical crash related to sleepiness __________ A. is not serious. drowsy driving if focus groups confirm their appeal. machines, and light-darkening shades to improve the quality and quantity of daytime sleep
behavioral measures to prevent or relieve sleepiness (Lisper et al., 1986; Dinges, 1995;
In sleep apnea syndrome, brief interruptions of air flow and loss of oxygen during
The panel could
alertness, rather than demonstrate an intervention that reduces drowsy-driving crashes. many of which are appropriate for all public audiences: Sleepiness is a serious risk for young male drivers. complexity of the issues involved (Rosekind et al., 1995), a combination of alertness
exercise (e.g., getting out of the car and walking around for a few minutes) (Horne,
Drowsy driving is a serious problem that leads to thousands of automobile
Annual averages of roughly 40,000 nonfatal injuries and 1,550 fatalities result
The report presents the results of a literature review and opinions of the Expert
The driver does not attempt to avoid a crash. In the New York State survey, nearly one-half the drowsy drivers who crashed (and
Sleepiness, Kingman P.
had drunk some alcohol (McCartt et al., 1996), and police-reported, fall-asleep crashes
scientific rigor of all this material, original papers, reviews, monographs, and reports
performance based and in vehicle, linked to alerting devices designed to prevent the
passenger drive or stopping to sleep before continuing a trip. combination of chronic and acute factors substantially increases crash risk. apnea syndrome (SAS) and narcolepsy, and the increased drowsiness and performance
performance of persons with sleep disorders compared with a control group. Sleepiness leads to crashes because it impairs elements of human performance that are
Relevant impairments identified in
impairment are neurobiological responses of the human brain to sleep deprivation. Both external and internal factors can lead to a restriction in the time available for
Ph.D.
needed on measures that increase or restore driver alertness or reduce crash risk or
shift]) could enhance understanding of the problems. et al., 1995). Sleepiness causes auto crashes because it impairs performance and can ultimately lead to the inability to resist falling asleep at the wheel. Messages to policymakers, especially from States in which rumble strips are not
be at greater risk than are early morning drivers who slept well the night before and
midafternoon (Studies of police crash reports: Pack et al., 1995; Knipling, Wang, 1994;
People with untreated sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) and narcolepsy. awake" to 7= "sleep onset soon"). technology, alerting devices, industrial accidents, and shift work). In a 1997
This report, sponsored by the National Center on Sleep Disorders
alcohol before driving in the afternoon or at night might pose special risks given the
in other forms such as caffeine-fortified soft drinks and tablets. Countermeasures. In Pack and
strategy" that can get drowsy drivers safely to their destination. The behavioral steps discussed earlier for younger males also seem reasonable for
Short duration of sleep appears to
Retrospective studies that compare crash histories of drivers with sleep disorders with
negative effects this choice can have on health and functioning (Mitler et al., 1988). following brief discussion, some tools for the assessment of sleepiness are described to
risks and how to reduce them. Untreated or unrecognized sleep disorders, especially sleep
fragmentation cause inadequate sleep and can negatively affect functioning (Dinges, 1995). The crash is likely to be serious. Successful strategies from drinking and driving campaigns might also be adapted to
younger than 30 accounted for almost two-thirds of drowsy-driving crashes, despite
defining risk factors and high-risk groups than the data on sleepiness or drowsiness. In lieu of an objective measure Most adults need at least 7 hours of sleep a day, and teens need at least 8 hours. driver becomes sleepy, the key behavioral step is to stop driving-for example, letting a
Educate shift workers about the risks of drowsy driving and how to
inattention (Treat et al., 1979). number of miles each year and a greater number of hours each day (McCartt et al., 1996)
effectiveness of rumble strips has been demonstrated only in drive-off-the-highway
Sleep-restrictive work patterns. About 25 percent reported
annually on average from 2009 to 2013, there were over 72,000 police-reported crashes involving drowsy driv - . found no evidence of effectiveness for commonly accepted remedial approaches such as brief
The driver does not attempt to avoid a crash. same trend but also suggest that sleepiness may play a role in rear-end crashes and
for drowsy-driving crashes. Policymakers also may
1 in 10 saying the difficulties are frequent (National Sleep Foundation, 1995). of night nurses working 12-hour shifts reported having had an automobile accident or
However, with increasing age, the daily peak of SRVAs seems to shift to later in the day, and among those drivers aged 50-69 it is in the early afternoon.21 Deputy Director
acute as well as chronic sleep loss. But, in addition, when alcohol involvement was combined with fatigue
times. Subjective and objective tools are available to approximate or detect
or to risky behavior associated with crashes. Medical systems have been successful in identifying only a fraction
and why they are a valuable addition to highways in rural areas. Micro-sleeps, or involuntary intrusions of sleep
The driver is alone in . Although there was no formal ranking of the
called for the active involvement of other organizations in an effort to promote
Changes in sleep patterns that reduce nighttime sleep or lead to circadian disruptions. getting a ride from a family member, taking a cab, napping before heading home). The crash occurs on a high-speed road. Use of sedating medications, especially prescribed anxiolytic
extended period of time and contain a component or scale that is congruent with measuring
Napping has the greatest effect on performance several hours after the nap (Dinges
Sleepiness, also referred to as drowsiness, is defined in this report as the need to
Shift workers whose sleep is disrupted by working at night or working
at-risk drivers who do not crash and about the impact of drowsiness on driving at all
Several approaches have been effective in reducing sleepiness caused by working
Laboratory and epidemiological studies of drowsy-driving countermeasures. and driving is no exception (kerstedt, 1995a, 1995b; Dinges, 1995; Horne, 1988;
an outcome measure. sector is growing at a rate of 3 percent per year, as businesses such as overnight
IV. Pack (1995) and Maycock (1996) both conclude that a
alert as an indication of impairment-a signal to stop driving and get adequate sleep
To assist the educational campaign in developing its educational
It occurs during late night/ early morning or mid-afternoon. Interaction between alcohol and sleepiness. snoring. a method for objectively assessing sleepiness at the crash site also would enable better
No blood, breath or other measurable test is currently available to quantify level of sleepiness at a motor vehicle crash site.Your Answer: ACorrect Answer: A. TRUECorrect!Explanation: Item found in Section 7.2 1. significantly improves alertness in sleepy people (but only marginally in those already
(based on a 24-hour clock), subjects were awakened every 2 hours for 15 minutes, and
Ph.D
driving patterns that disregard the normal sleep-wake cycle or represent driving increased
University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, Kate Georges
matched controls who did not participate in the program. However, because SAS is more common than narcolepsy, the absolute number of crashes is
Wilkins and colleagues (1997) confirmed that crashes attributed to driver fatigue have
Shift workers, many of whom are already chronically sleep deprived, are at extra
and acute situational factors recognized as increasing the risk of drowsy driving and
In a recent Gallup survey, approximately
sleep loss. those instructions. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Anne T. McCartt,