So many percent of fatal accidents are due to lack of sleep
Did you sleep very badly? Then it’s not such a good idea to get behind the wheel. Studies show that a fifth of fatal road accidents in the Netherlands are (partially) due to lack of sleep.
When you’re drowsy in the car, you’re less alert, have more difficulty making decisions, and your reaction time is slower. Sleep deprivation plays a role in just over 20 percent of fatal accidents.
Sleep deprivation as bad as drinking alcohol
This means that accidents caused by sleepiness are almost as common as accidents caused by alcohol consumption. Getting less than four hours of sleep can result in a fifteen times higher risk of collision.
If you haven’t slept for 18 hours, that’s the equivalent of 0.5 parts per thousand alcohol in your blood, or two standard glasses of alcohol. If you are on your feet for twenty-four hours, this corresponds to 1 per thousand (four glasses of drink).
Friday International Sleep Day
Friday is International Sleep Day. Beter Bed conducted a test in this regard. Driver Tom Coronel did two test drives in a simulator: the first fit and rested, the second awake after 24 hours.
In the first phase, Coronel reacts quickly, drives a tight course and anticipates well. His lap time is 1:20.680 minutes. The second trip – after 24 hours without sleep – hardly lasts. His lap time is also 2 seconds slower.
Opening windows or turning on music doesn’t help
Tired car journeys can lead to so-called microsleep, says sleep researcher Merijn van de Laar. The drowsiness then becomes so great that the body has to give in to sleep. And that is life-threatening.
“Opening windows or turning on music no longer works. And chewing or eating hasn’t been shown to be effective either.” People with untreated insomnia and young adults are most likely to fall asleep at the wheel, especially between 12pm and 6am.
Do you start yawning or nodding while driving and your eyelids get heavy? Then park your car somewhere, Van de Laar recommends, and take a 20-minute nap. Don’t continue.