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National Sleep Foundation Launches New
Campaign to Prevent Youth Drowsy Driving

Drowsy Driving Prevention Week™ Campaign Includes a Variety of Educational Elements Designed to Teach Young Drivers How to Drive Alert and Arrive Alive

WASHINGTON, DC, September 4, 2007 - The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) has announced the launch of Drowsy Driving Prevention Week™ (DDPW), a national campaign to save the lives of young drivers by raising awareness of the dangers of drowsy driving and advocating for preventative measures at the state level. The first annual Drowsy Driving Prevention Week™ will take place November 5-11, 2007, following the change back from Daylight Saving Time.

"Most teens and college students have been educated about the dangers of driving while intoxicated, but many are woefully unaware that driving while tired can be just as dangerous," says NSF CEO Richard Gelula, MSW. “According to NSF's 2006 Sleep in America poll, only one in five adolescents (20%) gets an optimal amount of sleep during the week, and more than half (51%) report having driven drowsy in the past year. Other research shows us that young people under the age of 25 are by far the largest at-risk group for these types of crashes.”

Car crashes are the number one killer of teens in the United States. Alcohol is often a factor in fatal crashes involving young people, but sleepiness also plays a significant role. Like alcohol, sleepiness slows reaction time and impairs judgment. Unlike alcohol, a person who falls asleep while driving has no control of the vehicle and cannot take measures to avoid a crash. For this reason, drowsy driving crashes are often very serious or fatal and are recognized by the lack of skid marks at the crash scene.

Young people need more sleep than older adults, yet most do not get nearly enough. The combination of sleepiness, inexperience and lifestyle choices, including a tendency to drive at night and in the early morning hours when there is a strong urge to sleep, puts teens and young adults at high risk for drowsy driving and sleep-related crashes. Additionally, sufficient sleep time for young drivers is continually challenged by ongoing pressures including academic work load, extra curricular activities and early school start times (for both high school and college-aged students). The goal of NSF's Drowsy Driving Prevention Week™ campaign is to educate teens about these risks before they are on the roadways and to build a network of advocates willing to work for drowsy driving prevention at the local and state level.

NSF's Drowsy Driving Prevention Week™ campaign includes:

  • A re-launch of NSF's www.drowsydriving.org
  • The newly redesigned site will offer extensive resources about drowsy driving including public policy, fact sheets, human interest stories, news features and online communities.
  • NSF's Drowsy Driving Memorial - www.drowsydriving.org will include a memorial page where friend and family members can post photos and/or messages about loved ones lost in drowsy driving crashes.
  • Sobering print public service announcements (PSAs) that hit home and remind everyone that drowsy driving crashes CAN be prevented.
  • A drowsy driving toolkit that includes online educational resources to teach young drivers, parents and educators about the risk factors and warnings signs of drowsy driving as well as tips for preventing a sleep-related crash.
  • NSF's Parent/Teen Safe Driver Contract, an agreement between young drivers and their parents to practice safe driving by not driving recklessly or while intoxicated or drowsy.
  • Resources and communications to build a national grassroots network of advocates working to prevent drowsy driving in their communities through the education and legislative efforts.

By launching Drowsy Driving Prevention Week™, NSF hopes to raise public awareness of the signs of sleepiness behind the wheel such as having trouble focusing, frequent blinking, yawning, heavy eyelids, drifting from lane to lane and not remembering the last few miles driven. To avoid drowsiness while driving:

  • Get adequate sleep before you drive
  • Allow time for breaks on long trips - about every 100 miles or two hours
  • Use the buddy system - ask your passenger to stay awake during the drive, to help keep you awake and to share the driving responsibilities
  • Don't drink alcohol and be aware of the potential side effects of any medications you might be taking - some cause drowsiness
  • Consume caffeine - the equivalent of two cups of coffee can increase alertness for several hours but should not be relied upon to overcome sleep deprivation

If sleepiness sets in while driving, prevent a crash by pulling over to find a safe place to take a nap or sleep for the night.

In addition to teens, NSF's Drowsy Driving Prevention Week™ will target other groups at high risk of drowsy driving, including commercial drivers, shift workers and people with untreated sleep disorders. The goal of the campaign is not only to educate the public about drowsy driving, but to provide them with the tools to prevent fatigue-related crashes in the future.

About NSF

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public health and safety by achieving greater understanding of sleep and sleep disorders. NSF furthers its mission through sleep-related education, research, and advocacy initiatives. NSF's membership includes researchers and clinicians focused on sleep medicine as well as other professionals in the health, medical and science fields, individuals, patients and more than 800 sleep clinics throughout North America that join the Foundation's Community Sleep Awareness Partners program. For more information, visit, www.sleepfoundation.org

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Contact: Lisa Tumminello
Phone: (202) 347-3471, ext. 211
Email: ltumminello@sleepfoundation.org
 
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