Sleepy drivers are a highway nightmare
By Irek Kusmierczyk
OTTAWA — The Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Challenger explosion, and the Chernobyl and Three Mile Island meltdowns all had one thing in common: they were caused by sleep deprivation.
The driver of this car, Robyn Konstantin, fell asleep at the wheel in Sierra Blanca, Texas, on April 6, 1999. She never woke up.
What doesn't grab headlines is the toll sleepy drivers take on Canadian highways.
Almost half of Canadians go about their daily lives deprived of sleep, according to a new report from Statistics Canada. That means half the 18 million vehicles on the road are in the hands of drivers who may not be as alert as they should be.
In the United States, more than half of adults surveyed reported driving drowsy in the past year. One in five reported falling asleep at the wheel.
The problem of drowsy drivers is serious enough in Canada to keep scientists and government researchers awake nights.
In 1995, a British study was released on the effects of sleep deprivation on driving.
It found that 16 per cent of all vehicle accidents were caused by sleepiness.
"We would find the same sort of thing in Canada," or about 35,000 accidents a year, says Alistair MacLean, head of the psychology department at Queen's University.
Driving drowsy is like driving drunk
MacLean is a leading researcher on the effects of sleep deprivation on drivers. He published a study last November that found the level of impairment of sleep-deprived drivers was comparable or equal to that of drunk drivers.
The study examined the driving performance of men and women with regular, healthy sleeping habits. They were asked to drive at various hours of the night. At 2:30 a.m., their performance was comparable to drivers with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.05 per cent, the equivalent of a 160-pound male downing three gin and tonics in an hour.
By 5 a.m., their performance was comparable to a driver with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 per cent, enough to be legally drunk in Canada.
"Sleepiness is one of the major causes of accidents, after alcohol," MacLean says. "It's been relatively recent that people realized the extent of the problem."
In the United States, the annual cost of fatigue-related accidents is $12.5 billion. The Canadian government has yet to calculate the costs.
Truckers are vulnerable
Truck drivers are especially vulnerable, since they are required to drive long distances, often at night.
Jim Gibson was driving to his cottage last October when he noticed an approaching transport truck riding fairly close to the centre line. Gibson watched as the truck eventually crossed the centre line right in front of his car.
"I had to take evasive action to avoid certain death."
Gibson says the driver of the car following the transport noticed the truck had swerved across the centre line several times before the accident.
"As far as I'm concerned, he had fallen asleep," says Gibson.
Gibson swerved onto the gravel shoulder and lost control of his car, which crossed back across the road and was hit by an oncoming truck.
The impact broke his neck, and Gibson was forced to wear a neck brace for more than three months. He still suffers effects from the accident.
The truck driver was charged with careless driving.
Traffic rumbles along Highway 401. Chances are that, among the drivers hurrying down the busy corridor, some are half asleep.
There are more than 600,000 truck trips a week on the main highways in Canada.
Brian Orrbine, senior policy advisor in road safety for Transport Canada, says most Canadian statistics on fatigue-related accidents hide the problem. A 1998 study showed only six out of 380 truck-related fatalities were attributed to fatigue.
"Those in the know believe that is under-reported," says Orrbine.
It is difficult to gather statistics for many reasons, including the fact that drivers are hesitant to admit they have fallen asleep at the wheel.
Transport Canada is looking at proposals to increase the number of hours of rest a truck driver gets each day — from eight hours to 10 — by decreasing the hours of service by two hours. As well, the maximum number of hours a truck driver will spend on the road will drop from 108 hours a week to 84 hours.
"We want more sleep, not less sleep," he says. "We know more rest is required. That is why providing 10 hours of rest gives you a better opportunity to sleep."
Orrbine says it is up to the truck drivers to make the most of the opportunity.
"It only works if you take the time off to sleep."
Saving time by cheating sleep
National Sleep Awareness Week in Canada is March 26 to April 1. Its purpose is to raise awareness about the effects of sleep deprivation on Canadians. It couldn't come at a better time. On April 1, Canadians will lose one hour of sleep as they turn their clocks forward for daylight saving time.
"Sleepiness is one of the major causes of accidents, after alcohol."
The time change was the brainchild of Benjamin Franklin who, in 1784, suggested Americans make better use of daylight. But in Franklin's time, there weren't any cars around.
Today, daylight saving time wreaks havoc on Canadian drivers.
"I think it's very dramatic that accidents increase by seven per cent after daylight saving time," says Maggie Wheelock, executive director of Sleep/Wake Disorders Canada in Toronto.
The average number of car accidents in Canada the week before daylight saving time is 2,590. The week after the time change, there are 200 more.
"I think it can be a huge problem, because people don't realize how sleep deprived they are, and when they lose an additional hour, it shows," she says.
Her solution doesn't take years of research and million-dollar studies to figure out: Get to bed an hour early.
For more information, please visit:
The state of road safety in Canada
Driver fatigue and alertness study
Tips for staying awake at the wheel
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