Message Monday - Feb. 22, 2016 - Winter blues? Do not snooze while you cruise
Officially, we have less than a month of winter left. For the “glass-half-full” people, that means we’re on the downhill slide to spring. For the “glass-half-empty” folks…. well, you see more cold, gloomy days ahead.
While the days are getting longer, it still seems like you’re either leaving in the morning or returning home in the afternoon in the dark. Here a couple of tips from the National Sleep Foundation on how to stay alert behind the wheel.
- Get more sleep. We all have busy lives, and think that we can beat sleep. We are just deceiving ourselves. A recent study showed that sleep deprived lab rats injected with cancer cells got cancer quicker than rats allowed to sleep with interruptions.
- Use the buddy system. Carpool if you can to help each other stay alert on the road.
- Drink caffeine. Caffeinated beverages improve alertness, but may wear off after several hours.
- Never drink alcohol and then drive. Even a small amount of alcohol can enhance your drowsiness.
According the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration more than 100,000 crashes every year in the U.S. can be linked to drowsy driving. Don’t be a statistic. Don’t drive drowsy.
This video from AAA talks about the warning signs that you’re too drowsy to drive and how to prevent it. http://www.monkeysee.com/play/23910-How-To-Prevent-Dangerous-Drowsy-Driving
The fatality count of 39 is an increase of eight from last Monday. To see statistics published daily by the Office of Driver Services, go to http://bit.ly/1QFbcyj.