April 6 marked the first Drowsy Driver Awareness Day throughout
the state of California. Drowsy Driver Awareness Day is a clarion
call for all individuals to become educated about sleep and drowsy
driving and serves as an important reminder of the dangers
associated with drowsy driving.
Editor,
April 6 marked the first Drowsy Driver Awareness Day throughout the state of California. Drowsy Driver Awareness Day is a clarion call for all individuals to become educated about sleep and drowsy driving and serves as an important reminder of the dangers associated with drowsy driving.
While many people resist the urge to sleep, it is a necessary and natural function of our body. If you do not obtain the amount of sleep your body requires, it accumulates a sleep debt that results in drowsiness and sleep deprivation. The effects of drowsiness include lower levels of alertness, slower reaction times, difficulty with decision making, shorter attention span as well as weakened memory and coordination. Clearly, these effects make being drowsy that much more dangerous. According to the U. S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drowsy driving is a cause of at least 100,000 auto crashes each year.
Michael J. Sateia, president,
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
