sleeping at the wheel :: essays research papers

Sleeping At the WheelThe dangers of somnolence when capricious. Sleepiness affects the ability to concentrate and maintain upkeep and vigilance particularly when physically in mobile. These effects may expose the drowsy(predicate) individual to potentially dangerous consequences, particularly in sedentary and bland situations such as while operate a vehicle. Sleepiness is a major contributing factor to road traffic accidents. Studies of motorway accidents register that 20 to 25% appear to be due to drivers falling asleep(predicate) at the wheel and argon these are particularly likely to pass away in the early morning or mid afternoon. Accidents in which the driver has fallen asleep tend to be particularly serious because of the drop of reaction of the driver to the impending collision. Furthermore, sleepy drivers report a last incidence of near-misses on the road while driving, which suggests that they have an awareness of the driving risks related to sleepiness short of being involved in an material collision. A Gallup poll carried out by the British Sleep derriere found that 19% of male drivers admitted to having fallen asleep while driving . Occupations such as long-haul truck driving are particularly associated with sleepiness while driving which may not be surprising habituated the time they spend on the road. These findings are particularly worrying because of the likeliness of a fatal accident where a large truck control by a driver who falls asleep is involved. Many undischarged multiple vehicle collisions that have occurred on motorways have been traced to drivers falling asleep at the wheel. US government figures indicate that 31% of lorry accidents in which the driver is killed are due to sleepiness. Avoiding sleeping at the wheel. All drivers should be made aware of the serious dangers of driving when sleepy and should take active metres to minimise the risks. Drivers should not start out at all if they are sleepy. Overnight driv es are a particular danger and every labor should be made to have a sleep before put out. If a driver becomes sleepy at the wheel they should stop and ideally another driver should take over. If this is impossible they should rest and take a nap. Research has shown that a short (10 - 20 minutes) nap can be refreshing in this situation. Indeed if one has to drive on, the best measure may be to stop, have a cup of a caffein containing drink and then a 20 minute nap.