Pocono News Section

Drowsy driving awareness week

Drowsy driving awareness week - Friday, November 9, 2007 at 4:37PM EST

Friday, Nov 9, 2007 @04:37pm EST

Are you falling asleep at the wheel?

The National Sleep Foundation wants you to wake up, and see the dangers of drowsy driving.

It's national drowsy driving prevention week.

All drivers have probably done it at least once...

Got behind the wheel when you're tired.

But it can be more dangerous than you think.

Tina Zambo of Forty Fort says, "it is very dangerous sometimes you could be driving for a mile or so and be like, god, i don't remember going that far, or whatever. And actually you're sleeping and you're driving."

Joe Zambo of Forty Fort "i've gone past places i didn't even realize that i went by and i realized, i missed the wrong turn already."

More than 50 thousand accidents nationwide are caused by tired, fatigued drivers.

Just this week, police say a woman fell asleep, causing an accident here on interstate 81 in Plains.

Dr. John Della Rosa of the Sleep Disorder Center of Wyoming Valley says drowsy driving is very risky.

Dr. Della Rosa says, "the risks of drowsy driving are very similar to the risks of being intoxicated. Someone who drives has very similar deficiencies."

Deficiencies like slow reaction time, bad judgment, and mood swings causing aggressive driving.

Some drowsy drivers will look for a quick fix, like turning up the ac, turning up the radio, or rolling down the window.

But those fixes only last a few minutes, and can make you more tired in the long run.

Dr. Della Rosa says a better temporary fix is taking a nap before driving, or pulling over to a rest stop.

He says caffeine is also a good solution.

But none better than getting a good night sleep before hitting the road.

In a recent poll of 103 million Americans, 37 percent say they have fallen asleep at the wheel at least once within the year.