New Study Highlights Drowsy Driving Dangers

A new study from UCLA and Tel Aviv University shed new light on driving tired. The study looked at the brains of fatigued patients and found that the slowdown in the brain was directly comparable to driving drunk.

Driving while tired is a big problem in Canada. Long distances, short daylight hours, and pushing too hard means that about 60 percent of Canadians admit to driving while fatigued. Fifteen percent admitted to having fallen asleep behind the wheel in the last year, in Transport Canada's latest data.

That data shows that 20 percent of fatal collisions involve driver fatigue. That's more than 370 deaths in this country every year. The new study helps to understand why driving tired has such a large effect on the body.

Researchers inserted electrodes into that brains of patients and measured 1,500 brain cells in the parts of the brain that process visual perception and memory. They found that as fatigue grew, subjects became slower not just to react, but to even see what was in front of them.

"We were fascinated to observe how sleep deprivation dampened brain cell activity," said lead author Yuval Nir of Tel Aviv University. "Unlike the usual rapid reaction, the neurons responded slowly and fired more weakly, and their transmissions dragged on longer than usual."

The example was a pedestrian stepping in front of a car. "The very act of seeing the pedestrian slows down in the driver’s overtired brain," UCLA Dr. Itzhak Fried, the study leader, said. So not only is your brain slower to tell your body to react then when you are awake and alert, your brain takes longer to even see the object you're avoiding. The combination can lead to fatal results.

The study raises questions about how we view sleep deprivation. Many of us have stories about epic cross-country drives that probably saw more tired driving that we'd like to admit. But, as Fried said, "Severe fatigue exerts a similar influence on the brain to drinking too much."

The researchers hope to explore this further and find out what causes our cells to slow down when we get tired.

So what can you do to avoid driving while fatigued? UCLA's Sleep Center has some tips. Fatigue isn't based just on how long you've been awake, but also your body's own clock. Most drowsy driving happens from midnight to 8 a.m. That's because your body wants to go to sleep when it's dark out. So 82 percent of drowsy driving crashes involved a single occupant. Nobody to talk to who can help you stay alert, and nobody to notice that the driver's head is bobbing. Medications and untreated sleep disorders can also cause drowsiness behind the wheel.

The signs of drowsy driving include frequent yawning, trouble keeping your eyes open or head up, loss of focus, inadvertent tailgating, missing signs, and drifting in the lane.

So how to prevent driving drowsy? Be aware of the effects, and don't get in the car if you're tired. Pull over and take a nap if you're getting drowsy, and avoid alcohol or medications that cause drowsiness. Driving with a blood alcohol level below the legal limit can still increase drowsiness.

Caffeine can give a short-term boost, but it's just that: short term. Have a coffee, then take a nap, UCLA suggests. You should wake up more rested and alert and ready to go.