You’ve been driving for a while, alone, and start to yawn. Your eyes get heavy. Suddenly, your head snaps up and you realize you dozed off for a millisecond.
Think it can’t happen to you? Think again. Within any 30-day period, about one in 25 drivers over the age of 18 reports having fallen asleep while driving, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More Fast Facts About Drowsy Driving
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that drowsy driving leads to 100,000 police-reported crashes each year, resulting in 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries and a $12.5 billion cost to the economy.
- Adults between 18 and 29 are the most likely to drive while drowsy (71% vs. 52% for 30- to 64-year-olds, or 19% for those aged 65 and over), according to the National Sleep Foundation.
- People with children are more likely to drive while drowsy than people without children (59% vs. 45%).
6 Ways To Stay Alert On The Road—And Keep Safe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9vk_rpHMpk&feature=youtu.be
- Sleep sufficiently. The National Sleep Foundation recommends getting between seven and nine hours of sleep per night.
- Stay engaged. Chat with your passengers or sing along to some tunes. Before driving, pick a playlist (or podcast) that will rev you up. If you’re talking on the phone, use hands-free.
- Pair up. When traveling long distances, taking turns behind the wheel allows you to rest without putting your trip on pause.
- Get some air. Roll down your windows for a blast of air and consider looking for a safe place to pull over to take a 20-minute nap. If you’re on the highway, the stimulating sounds of the rushing wind can also help keep you alert.
- Catch up on your reading. Audiobooks can help keep your attention—try an app or a local library for audio titles before you go.
- Take a break. Get out and stretch, use the restroom or get a snack every 100 miles or 2 hours.
Learning defensive driving techniques can help you become a better driver and earn you a discount on car insurance. Visit GEICO’s defensive driver discounts section for more information.
Next: 7 Bad Driving Habits to Avoid
Illustration by Sébastien Thibault
Video Animation by Heather Van Gilder
Voice-Over by Steven Scott
geff says,
Stop making excuses to stay awake. Just pull OVER. Being a truck driver it is not worth your life or someone elses to not take 20 nap.
JOSE R DIAZ says,
ITS True I LOST …MY FAVOR UNCLE, IN CANOVANAS, PUERTO RICO HE WAS DRIVING, FOLLOW SLEEP AND DIE UNDER A PLATAFORM TRUCK. LETS, READ THE GREAT ADVICE!
Angelica says,
One issue is that a lot of times people don’t realize how drowsy they are until they are on the road. As a woman, the advice to pull over on the side of the road is easier said than done. There are not many places where women would feel safe pulling over on the side of the road at all, yet alone to let their guard down by sleeping. Tactics that have worked for me: Rolling the windows down, turning the music up, stopping for coffee (the caffeine and the stop will help to wake you up), changing your route so that you aren’t driving straight for a long time (maybe streets instead of hwy), causing you to go into a trance. I feel that what exactly you are listening to makes a difference too. i.e. something upbeat, or a talk show that stimulates your mind. For those who do feel safe pulling over to sleep, but worry about oversleeping, there’s a phone app called Power Nap that will not only measure the amount of time that you sleep, but alert you when your body is most ready to wake up (around the time that you set).
Ali Almayyahi says,
I don’t know I am before when I am very tired when I drive I be very active and not drowsy
My work overnight with disable client
Now I drive after work with drowsy
On time I feels I am almost hit the rigid yellow line I feels scare from that
I want to organized my self nowc
But I don’t know when I feel-drowsy
Can I take nap on the freeway shoulder
James says,
Thanks for the head’s-up ; )
Helena VanBrook says,
For future reference, the safety tips will be considered not only for me but for friends & family. Thank You.
Charles says,
I turn on the radio or I pull over and take a nap
Charles says,
Yes I am guilty of drowsy driving
Abraham says,
If the drowsiness is recurrent have a sleep study and make sure you don’t suffer of a condition
called Sleep Apnea.
This condition is treated with C Pap machines.
Gerald Yancey says,
Though I barely drive while drowsy , coffee always works for me.
Lily says,
I notice that I always seem to get very drowsy driving when I have my heat on in my car even if I was not tired before. I’m like a baby and fall asleep immediately when I begin to drive. Leaving the window open helps keep me awake and turning off the heat making my car ride less comfy and keeping me awak.
Roger Watts says,
I take a thermos full of ice cubes with me on long auto trips. When I get sleepy, or, drowsy, I pop ice cubes in my mouth.
Trust me, you can not go to sleep with ice cubes in your mouth. I don,t have a scientific explanation for this phenomena, but, my guess is that a low grade pain from the ice in the mouth is part of the reason one can not go to sleep.
I’m 82 years old. I have driven a car since I was 16 years old. I have utilized the ice cubes in my mouth for at least 60 years. I have told family and friends about the ice cube trick. Those people who try it, confirm that the ice cubes prevent drowsiness, or going to sleep while driving a car.
Kathy Gallagher says,
So I’ve often driven from New Jersey to Scranton Pennsylvania in the past. The traffic on a Friday eavning rush after a long day of work can be stressful and exhausting. Although I found a way to stay alert and observant by eating sun flower seeds. They are not only healthy, but yet very addictive . May not be for everyone but it always worked for me…….. :))
Edward Rentz says,
If you’re drowsy the best thing is to pull over and take a nap,if unable to eat sunflower seeds hand to mouth movement will keep you in a state of concentration for about 15to 30minutes depending on how tired you are.once again there are no substitutes for sleep nothing is as important as our lives.be well
hipolito v acosta says,
pienso gue lo mejor,cuando uno va salir,no comer demasiado y si te siente con sueno parar a un lado y cerrar los ojo un momento,gracia a Dio me ha funcionado por 28 ano sin acidente, lo siento por lo gue no hablan espanol tks.