Missing an Hour or Two of Sleep Doubles Crash Risk

Drivers who sleep more than two hours less than the recommended seven hours a night nearly double their accident risk, according to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. This is especially dangerous due to the fact that 35% of drivers in America sleep less than recommended and one in five fatal car crashed in a year involve drowsy driving. AAA gives several recommendations for improvement.

Key Takeaways:

• Drivers who miss between one to two hours of the recommended minimum of seven hours of sleep in a 24-hour period nearly double their risk for a crash, according to new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
• The finding is especially alarming since, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 35% of U.S. drivers sleep less than the recommended minimum of seven hours daily.
• And with drowsy driving involved in more than one in five fatal crashes on U.S. roadways each year, AAA warns drivers that getting less than seven hours of sleep may have deadly consequences.

“Symptoms of drowsy driving can include having trouble keeping eyes open, drifting from lanes, or not remembering the last few miles driven.”

http://www.automotive-fleet.com/channel/safety-accident-management/news/story/2016/12/missing-an-hour-or-two-of-sleep-doubles-crash-risk.aspx