TRANSPORTATION MATTERS for IOWA

Message Monday - Lost sleep? Find it in a rest area


3-15 lost sleepWith the start of daylight savings time, many of us “lose” an hour of sleep. Can that impact the way you drive? Getting accurate data on the number of people injured or killed in drowsy-driving crashes is not possible, yet we know the problem exists from people self-reporting drowsiness as an issue in some crashes.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, sleepiness can result in crashes any time of the day or night, but three factors are most commonly associated with drowsy-driving crashes.

Drowsy-driving crashes:

  • Occur most frequently between midnight and 6 a.m., or in the late afternoon. At both times of the day, people experience dips in their circadian rhythm—the human body’s internal clock that regulates sleep
  • Often involve only a single driver (and no passengers) running off the road at a high rate of speed with no evidence of braking
  • Frequently occur on rural roads and highways


The best way to combat drowsy driving is the get enough sleep. Rotating driving duties between drivers is another way to stay safer. If you’re driving alone, drinking caffeine can have short-term benefits to help you stay alert behind the wheel.

For a fun way to learn tips and tricks to stay awake behind the wheel and avoid the things that make you sleepy, try our new game for Android devices. Just search the Google Play store for “Moonlight Journey.”

Moonlight journey

For 2020, there were a total of 338 fatalities reported. So far in 2021, there have been 37 deaths in traffic crashes. That is an increase of four since last Monday. To see statistics published daily by the Office of Driver Services, go to the daily fatality report at https://www.iowadot.gov/mvd/stats/daily.pdf

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