Have you ever fell asleep at the wheel?
01-04-2013 | 11:18 AM
#1
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From: Upstate NY
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Have you ever fell asleep at the wheel?
Either by a second or by a lot?
http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/ap/cd...-while-driving
http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/ap/cd...-while-driving
CDC: 1 in 24 admit nodding off while driving
NEW YORK (AP) — This could give you nightmares: 1 in 24 U.S. adults say they recently fell asleep while driving.
And health officials behind the study think the number is probably higher. That's because some people don't realize it when they nod off for a second or two behind the wheel.
"If I'm on the road, I'd be a little worried about the other drivers," said the study's lead author, Anne Wheaton of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the CDC study released Thursday, about 4 percent of U.S. adults said they nodded off or fell asleep at least once while driving in the previous month. Some earlier studies reached a similar conclusion, but the CDC telephone survey of 147,000 adults was far larger. It was conducted in 19 states and the District of Columbia in 2009 and 2010.
CDC researchers found drowsy driving was more common in men, people ages 25 to 34, those who averaged less than six hours of sleep each night, and — for some unexplained reason — Texans.
Wheaton said it's possible the Texas survey sample included larger numbers of sleep-deprived young adults or apnea-suffering overweight people.
Most of the CDC findings are not surprising to those who study this problem.
"A lot of people are getting insufficient sleep," said Dr. Gregory Belenky, director of Washington State University's Sleep and Performance Research Center in Spokane.
The government estimates that about 3 percent of fatal traffic crashes involve drowsy drivers, but other estimates have put that number as high as 33 percent.
Warning signs of drowsy driving: Feeling very tired, not remembering the last mile or two, or drifting onto rumble strips on the side of the road. That signals a driver should get off the road and rest, Wheaton said.
Even a brief moment nodding off can be extremely dangerous, she noted. At 60 mph, a single second translates to speeding along for 88 feet — the length of two school buses.
To prevent drowsy driving, health officials recommend getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night, treating any sleep disorders and not drinking alcohol before getting behind the wheel.
NEW YORK (AP) — This could give you nightmares: 1 in 24 U.S. adults say they recently fell asleep while driving.
And health officials behind the study think the number is probably higher. That's because some people don't realize it when they nod off for a second or two behind the wheel.
"If I'm on the road, I'd be a little worried about the other drivers," said the study's lead author, Anne Wheaton of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the CDC study released Thursday, about 4 percent of U.S. adults said they nodded off or fell asleep at least once while driving in the previous month. Some earlier studies reached a similar conclusion, but the CDC telephone survey of 147,000 adults was far larger. It was conducted in 19 states and the District of Columbia in 2009 and 2010.
CDC researchers found drowsy driving was more common in men, people ages 25 to 34, those who averaged less than six hours of sleep each night, and — for some unexplained reason — Texans.
Wheaton said it's possible the Texas survey sample included larger numbers of sleep-deprived young adults or apnea-suffering overweight people.
Most of the CDC findings are not surprising to those who study this problem.
"A lot of people are getting insufficient sleep," said Dr. Gregory Belenky, director of Washington State University's Sleep and Performance Research Center in Spokane.
The government estimates that about 3 percent of fatal traffic crashes involve drowsy drivers, but other estimates have put that number as high as 33 percent.
Warning signs of drowsy driving: Feeling very tired, not remembering the last mile or two, or drifting onto rumble strips on the side of the road. That signals a driver should get off the road and rest, Wheaton said.
Even a brief moment nodding off can be extremely dangerous, she noted. At 60 mph, a single second translates to speeding along for 88 feet — the length of two school buses.
To prevent drowsy driving, health officials recommend getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night, treating any sleep disorders and not drinking alcohol before getting behind the wheel.
01-04-2013 | 01:33 PM
#2
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From: Canada
Vehicle: 1991 Impulse RS
Yup! 4 times. Two accidents. One close call.
First time- 4am driving back from a buddies cottage. Fell asleep 3 minutes from my house. Drove over the curb, across 2 lawns and through a freshly planted cedar hedge. Drove by the next morning to see all the neighbours outside wondering WTF happened! lol
Second time- Fell asleep on the highway (3 or 4 am again). Woke up just in time to save the car from going into the ditch.
Third time- wife slapped me in the arm and woke me up. She yelled at me for a bit, we made it home ok.
Fourth time- Fell asleep at noon hour while driving the work truck (despite having drank 2 energy drinks!). Woke up to see the cars in front of me stopped at a red light.
Ended up rear ending the car in front of me, about $1000 damage, no police involved and my work just paid the lady cash to fix her car. I figure I was asleep for a good 25 sec or more, but managed to keep the truck straight!? 
I told the boss I just wasn't paying attention, they were a bit upset but it was my first accident in a work truck ever and I've worked there for 12+ years so they cut me some slack.
Yes, I am a dumb ass.
First time- 4am driving back from a buddies cottage. Fell asleep 3 minutes from my house. Drove over the curb, across 2 lawns and through a freshly planted cedar hedge. Drove by the next morning to see all the neighbours outside wondering WTF happened! lol
Second time- Fell asleep on the highway (3 or 4 am again). Woke up just in time to save the car from going into the ditch.
Third time- wife slapped me in the arm and woke me up. She yelled at me for a bit, we made it home ok.
Fourth time- Fell asleep at noon hour while driving the work truck (despite having drank 2 energy drinks!). Woke up to see the cars in front of me stopped at a red light.
Ended up rear ending the car in front of me, about $1000 damage, no police involved and my work just paid the lady cash to fix her car. I figure I was asleep for a good 25 sec or more, but managed to keep the truck straight!? I told the boss I just wasn't paying attention, they were a bit upset but it was my first accident in a work truck ever and I've worked there for 12+ years so they cut me some slack.Yes, I am a dumb ass.
01-04-2013 | 01:52 PM
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From: ɯooɹpǝq ɹnoʎ
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I did once. My God, scared the sh*t out of me.
In the Orlando airport for 6 hours, flight issues, bumped, etc... sucky day. Decided to rent a car and drive home (665 miles). It took just under 10 hours, and we got home around 4am. About 20 minutes from home, I was pushing the last few miles on the interstate and just couldn't hold it together any longer. I nodded off, likely for only a secnd as I woke up as soon as I hit the rumble strip. Thank God I didn't over correct, but my correction was enough to wake up my wife in the passenger seat. Needless to say I was wide awake for the last stretch after that. That stretch of interstate is only 2 lanes on each side, and not too heavy for traffic, but there were definitely several semi trucks on the road at that hour.
In the Orlando airport for 6 hours, flight issues, bumped, etc... sucky day. Decided to rent a car and drive home (665 miles). It took just under 10 hours, and we got home around 4am. About 20 minutes from home, I was pushing the last few miles on the interstate and just couldn't hold it together any longer. I nodded off, likely for only a secnd as I woke up as soon as I hit the rumble strip. Thank God I didn't over correct, but my correction was enough to wake up my wife in the passenger seat. Needless to say I was wide awake for the last stretch after that. That stretch of interstate is only 2 lanes on each side, and not too heavy for traffic, but there were definitely several semi trucks on the road at that hour.
01-05-2013 | 08:51 AM
#4
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From: Thomaston, CT
Vehicle: 2012 Veloster DCT w/ Tech
Once, when I was working 2 jobs. Start off at 5AM and work till 10PM, then make the 20 mile drive home. Fell asleep at a red light and woke up when my Ford Ranger went up over the curb and onto the sidewalk across the street from the light I had stopped at. Scary stuff!
01-05-2013 | 07:57 PM
#6
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From: Floating around the AUDM
Vehicle: X3 Sprint, S-Coupe Turbo
I have had mini-sleeps behind the wheel a couple of times, but by now I've learnt the threshold beyond which I should not be driving.
Sleeping in your car sucks, but I'd rather look like a bum for half an hour instead of blitzing some family at 60 mph.
Sleeping in your car sucks, but I'd rather look like a bum for half an hour instead of blitzing some family at 60 mph.
01-06-2013 | 10:07 PM
#7
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From: Killeen Texas
Vehicle: 2005 Hyundai Tiburon GT
Yup I used to fall asleep all the time driving home after getting off a 6am. And a couple times on long trips. No accidents tho but almost crapped my pants a couples times lol
01-07-2013 | 04:10 PM
#8
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From: Lacey, WA
Vehicle: Two Accents, Mini, Miata, Van, Outback, and a ZX-6
After 20 hours on the road (after a long day of hiking) I fell asleep and hit the rumble strips. I've had a few nodding off moments, I'm usually good at coming back from those if I start feeling drowsy. If not, I'll sleep for 20 minutes and I can go about another 4 hours per power nap.
I fell asleep riding a bike alongside the highway once. I think it had something to do with hypothermia. I had been fishing and fell in a stream and it was below freezing, then I rode a bike 8 miles home. I was thoroughly cold.
I fell asleep riding a bike alongside the highway once. I think it had something to do with hypothermia. I had been fishing and fell in a stream and it was below freezing, then I rode a bike 8 miles home. I was thoroughly cold.