Sunday is Daylight Saving Time, Don’t Drive Drowsy
With Sunday marking the beginning of Daylight Saving Time, we’re all going to have a bit of an adjustment period while our brain recalibrates our circadian rhythm, or the pattern of sleep versus wake. Well, those of us who spend a lot of time on the road are going to start noticing a bit of drowsiness for a day or two. If the hypnosis of long drives wasn’t bad enough, driving while drowsy is worse.
A study conducted in New Zealand showed the harms of driving while drowsy. A sample of drivers who had stayed awake for 17 hours were asked to complete several driving tests, and evidently performed as well or worse than a driver with a blood-alcohol content (BAC) level of 0.05-percent. Staying awake for longer, or getting less sleep, can push that up to a BAC of 0.1-percent. Not a drop of alcohol in the system, and over 40,000 drowsy driving-related accidents took place between 2009 – 2013.
Henceforth, in recent years, automakers have been designing and implementing drowsy driving detection systems. Brands such as Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Lexus, and recently Kia and Mitsubishi have all released vehicles with a drowsy driving system option.
Mitsubishi’s technology covers a range of changes in driving habits to detect whether a driver is alert, absent-minded, or possibly driving drowsy. Based on a combination of recorded data of the driver’s driving habits compared to how they’re driving presently, the system can detect if the driver is driving “normally”, and alert them if they are not to make them aware of their current potentially dangerous driving behavior.
Systems like this, plus advanced safety systems i.e. lane departure warning, are a great way to keep driving safely. However, they’re not a replacement for practicing safe driving. If drowsy, it’s better to pull over and take a power nap versus risking your life or the life of someone else.
A lot of people have their own reasons daylight saving time exists. Some say it has to do with the seasons and farmers getting out to tend the fields early in the spring. Others say it was to protect people walking from home during the winter when sunlight is limited. Whatever it is, it’s here to stay for this year and everyone needs to be aware of the increased possibility of drowsy drivers.