You snooze, you lose: FHP tackles driving while drowsy

The Florida Highway Patrol is working to bring attention to a danger they said many drivers are unaware of: driving while drowsy.

Driver fatigue leads to more than 100,000 crashes each year in the United States, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. 

More than 71,000 of those crashes result in injuries, and more than 1,500 people die.

To bring attention to the dangers of fatigued driving, law enforcement and safety advocates announced Florida's Drowsy Driving Prevention Week on Sept. 5-11.  The FHP will be enforcing their "You Snooze, You Lose" campaign over the Labor Day weekend. 

The Drowsy Driving Prevention Week is the result of the Ronshay Dugans Act, which was created in this year's legislative session.  The act is named for an 8-year-old girl who was killed when a driver who fell asleep at the wheel of a cement truck crashed into her school bus.

Maj. Paulette Jones said troopers will be looking for signs of tired drivers.

"Sometimes drowsy drivers are speeding," she said. "Sometimes they are going excessively slow or they're weaving within their lane. So we're looking for drowsy drivers to hopefully save lives this holiday weekend."

Experts said that drivers who have been awake for more than 16 hours are taking a risk by driving, especially if their eyelids feel heavy and they are nodding off.

In addition, they said young men between the age of 16 and 29, people who work at night or who work irregular hours or people with untreated sleep apnea or narcolepsy are also at risk.

Dr. Russell Rosenberg of the National Sleep Foundation said drowsy drivers are just as impaired - if not more - as drunk drivers.

"Given that there is no such thing as a Breathalyzer at the scene of the accident, many people are reluctant or many people don't realize they've fallen asleep for a second or two," he said.  "This just really does result in too many deaths on America's roads."

Precautions to avoid drowsy driving

• Get a good night's sleep before driving
• Bring a companion who can either keep you alert or take over if you get too tired
• Take a break from driving
• Stretch or nap every few hours
• Do not drink before driving
• Be aware of taking medications that warn of drowsiness as a possible side effect