Over the last decade, an average of 75 people have died in crashes that may have started with a brief bout of sleepiness at the wheel. Sleeping too little increases the chances of having an accident 11-fold.
From the dangers of the rebound effect (which can encourage the onset of fatigue) to the clock change and its consequences, the issue of sleepiness and tiredness when driving is, unfortunately, a constant on the road. Always for the worse, of course. It is worth remembering, because when drowsiness catches up with us… it may be too late. Special care must be taken in professional driving: sleeping too little, half of the recommended eight hours, increases the likelihood of an accident while driving 11-fold.
Held at the beginning of this month, the 1st Conference on Sleep and Driving, organised by the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), produced a figure to bear in mind: drowsiness could be behind 7% of accidents. In 2021, this meant the deaths of 77 people on the roads.
From the DGT Road Safety Observatory, its director, Álvaro Gómez, explains how it is determined that sleep played a part in a crash. The key lies in the circumstances in which it occurs, for example, a vehicle leaving the road in the early hours, when a driver is travelling alone and the manoeuvre cannot be explained by poor visibility, for example, because it is a motorway that is well lit and signposted.
Avoiding microsleeps and nodding off, which can be lethal
Although technology is on our side, and ADAS driver assistance systems anticipate situations of tiredness precisely to assist us and prevent us from falling asleep at the wheel, the ideal is prevention. Getting ahead of sleepiness when we feel the symptoms of fatigue while driving.
At the conference, in fact, Carlos Egea, head of the Respiratory Service and Sleep Unit of the OSI Araba in Vitoria, spoke of a study in which 31% of drivers admitted to having pushed on, falling asleep for a few seconds. What can we do? Here are some recommendations:
Avoid driving in the early hours (from 3 to 5 in the morning is particularly dangerous) and alone- Keep the radio on, live or loaded with good podcasts
- Do not drive if you have not slept at least seven or eight hours
- Make regular stops at rest areas, even doing some stretching or taking a short nap
- Drink water and stay well hydrated, avoiding caffeine as far as possible
- Chat with your passenger (and take turns at the wheel with them)
- Sing or talk out loud (why not?)
- Drive sitting upright with both hands on the wheel, concentrating
- Avoid heavy meals, opting for light food