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You've heard the old expression 'asleep at the wheel'? It no longer just means people who aren't paying attention to what they're doing at work or in life. It's also come to mean exactly what it says - people nodding off while they're driving. It's a serious problem with potentially deadly consequences. And in our work-more-and-sleep-less world, it can be deadly. Figures show fatigued drivers kill at least 400 Canadians a year, and one in five - an astounding four million of us - have acknowledged nodding off while we're in the driver's seat.
But while cops can catch drunk drivers and those impaired on other substances, the sleep-deprived steerers are a lot harder to detect. Experts suggest those who suffer from extreme fatigue (more than 17 hours without shuteye) are the equivalent of having a blood alcohol level of .05 percent and present as big a hazard as a drunk driver.
What can be done about it? Experts are pondering that question at a Toronto driver fatigue symposium on Wednesday and the results are eye opening.
Until then, here are some questions to ask yourself as your eyes start to close on the road.
But while cops can catch drunk drivers and those impaired on other substances, the sleep-deprived steerers are a lot harder to detect. Experts suggest those who suffer from extreme fatigue (more than 17 hours without shuteye) are the equivalent of having a blood alcohol level of .05 percent and present as big a hazard as a drunk driver.
What can be done about it? Experts are pondering that question at a Toronto driver fatigue symposium on Wednesday and the results are eye opening.
Until then, here are some questions to ask yourself as your eyes start to close on the road.
- Do your eyelids droop or does your vision get blurry?
- Do you have trouble keeping your head up?
- Do you drift between lanes, tailgate or miss traffic signs?
- Are you unable to stop yawning?
- Do your thoughts wander?
- Do you not remember driving the last few miles?
- Have you drifted off the road or had a near miss?
- Do you keep jerking the vehicle back into the lane?