A 1999 “Sleep in America “survey by the National Sleep Foundation (USA) found that 62 percent of drivers admitted to driving while drowsy during the previous year, 27 percent admitted to nodding off while driving, and 23 percent knew someone who had a fall-asleep crash sometime in their life. The issue of driving while fatigued is multifaceted involving endogenous factors related to the person, such as level of fatigue, use of alcohol, time onthe task, etc… In addition, exogenous factors related to the type of task and the operating conditions are also very important. The outcome is an interaction of these factors. Sleep represents a third of our lives and has a tremendous impact on how we live, function, perform, and think when we are awake. Sleepiness, whether the result of untreated sleep disorders or deliberate sleep deprivation has been identified as a causal factor in a growing number of highway injuries and fatalities. (Author/publisher)
Abstract