DROWSY or DRUNK DRIVING – not a risk worth taking Car crashes are among the leading causes of death in most countries. However, more accidents are caused by sleep deprived drivers than the drunk ones. Neither is excusable. Drunk drivers are mostly drowsy because they are usually driving after a long night of drinking/partying. We have all been behind the wheels, at least once trying hard to keep our eyes open, or slapping our face to stay alert, or asking our friends to talk to us while we drive because we are drowsy. We become cognitively impaired when drowsy. Most crash accidents happen when during a momentary lapse in concentration or microsleep, behind the wheels at high speed. Microsleep grabs the driver unawares and momentarily ceases decisive motor controls of the body, necessary for driving. This lapse of 2 or 3 seconds may become fatal. Next time when you sit behind those wheels, remember, you owe it to your family and to those who are driving alongside you to have sufficient sleep before driving.
