The wood are lovely, dark, and deep.

But, I have promises to keep .

And miles to go before I sleep

And miles to go before I sleep. Robert Frost

Preventing drowsy driving

The dangers of shift work

Some statistics according to the FHTSA In the U.S there are 193,500,000 licensed drivers

There are 254,400,000 registered vehicles

2,600,000 are CMVs

The average American drives 13,476 miles annually.

There are 2.7 crashes per 100 million miles contributed to driving drowsy..

Chances are that many of the people in this room can remember an instance when they were driving drowsy, groggy or downright exhausted.

51 percent of drivers say in the past year they have driven drowsy.

17 percent admit to have actually fallen asleep.

The most dangerous part of your day is your early morning or late night drive home from work. One survey found that 20% of shift workers reported an accident or near miss while driving home from work.

Why? Lack of sleep is the primary reason Shift workers are at risk for falling asleep at the wheel.

Shift workers get an average of 5 hrs sleep a day. That’s an hour to an hour and a half less than non shift workers.

A shift worker that sleeps until 1:00pm and gets off work at 7:00am is driving after being awake 18 hrs. Twice as long as a non shift worker.

About 20 to 25 percent of the population that works does some sort of shift work. That`s roughly 21 million Americans

Shift work and sleepiness put you at risk for problems such as, Sleep deprivation

Disrupted sleep patterns

Reduced alertness

Increases the potential for crashes

Falling asleep while driving or working

Low morale

Decreased motivation and productivity

Burn out.

Our sleep cycles are regulated by an internal clock called the circadian rhythm. It is what makes you want to be asleep when it`s dark and awake when it`s daytime. Shift work contradicts with this rhythm.

Chronic effects The disruption of the sleep cycle from shift work

influences the physiological functions of the body. Most bodily functions have at least some circadian rhythm. The effects of confusing this rhythm can have detrimental impacts over the long run.

It has long been known that shift work is associated with an increased risk for heart attacks, diabetes and obesity

According to the NHTSA there are 100,000 crashes a year caused by drowsy drivers

That`s roughly equivalent to every man , woman, and child in Lafayette, Louisiana.

71,000 people are injured every year as a result.

That`s equivalent to every single person living in Lake Charles Louisiana.

Drowsy driving is responsible for 1550 fatalities every year.

The same number as the ENTIRE graduating class of ULL in 2011.

Sleep is top priority to a safe shift The average person needs 7-8 hrs of sleep per day for

optimal performance.

When a person gets less than that they accrue a sleep “debt”. A sleep debt can only be paid by sleeping.

To stop feeling sleepy you have to SLEEP.

Warning signs. Even one of the following is too many! Excessive yawning

Droopy eyelids and frequent blinking

Trouble focusing and keeping eyes open

Wandering mind or disconnected thoughts

Temporary loss of short term memory

Sloppy driving (weaving, tailgating, missed traffic signals or hitting the rumble strip)

Driving drowsy is the equivalent of driving with a B.A.C. of 0.10 Can lead to a crash

Impairs your driving

Allows you to make poor decisions

Reduces your response time and ability to react.

Causes decreased awareness, tunnel vision, wandering thoughts and shortened attention span.

The reasons why “fall asleep” crashes are fatal more often are simple.

The drivers eyes are closed and they simply never get to react to the impending danger.

The driver is often alone and has no one in the vehicle to offer a warning.

Myths Myth: Coffee and stimulant overcome sleepiness.

Stimulants are no substitute for sleep and only work for a short time.

Myth: You can tell when you are falling asleep.

Sleep is not voluntary. You can fall asleep and not know it.

Myth: You can still drive safely when you are sleepy.

Even the safest driver has impaired judgment when they are sleepy.

Myth: Some people can`t take naps

A sleep deprived person will fall asleep quickly

Facts Fact: Late night and early morning drives are the most

dangerous.

Fact: The highest crash rates occur between the hours of midnight and 6 am.

Fact: “ Fall asleep” crashes are often fatal.

Fact: “Fall asleep” crashes occur more often on roads with higher speed limits.

What won`t work Turning up the radio

Singing or yelling

Eating or chewing gum

Getting out of the vehicle and running around

Slapping yourself

Rolling down the windows

SLEEP IS THE ONLY CURE FOR DROWSY

Just get some sleep!!!!

It doesn’t matter where you sleep. Just don`t sleep behind the wheel !

Sleep!

Some advantages to working nights Public places are less crowded during the day.

Movies are cheaper

Child care is more available

You can attend school functions more easily.

Most businesses are open allowing you to conduct day to day errands.

Traffic is less congested at night.

The night shift is less stressful.

The disadvantages of working nights Less visibility

Most seasonal weather events occur at night.

Service providers are often unavailable.

You are often excluded from evening functions.

It affects the entire household.

Others?

Get home safely Pull over and take a nap if you need to. A 15 -20 minute

power nap will sometimes make all the difference.

Carpool with another employee.

Call someone to pick you up.

Busses and taxis are always an option.

Social custom promotes sleep during the night more than during the day. Phone calls, general noisiness in a home or neighborhood can make it difficult to sleep during the day.

Tips for daytime sleeping Make the room dark and cold. Use blackout shades or

heavy curtains to darken the room. Set the thermostat to a cooler setting.

Block outside noise. Use a fan to create “white noise”. Turn off cell phones and silence the ringer on the home phone extension in your bedroom. Put a sign outside your door to let people know you`re sleeping. Explain to children the importance of being quiet near your room.

Establish a regular schedule and stick to it.

Cool and dark helps you sleep