Sleepy Drivers Can Dose Unknowingly
Summary
TLDRThe video script discusses the alarming issue of drowsy driving, which affects an estimated quarter million Americans daily, causing thousands of fatal accidents annually. It features a shocking case of a woman driving asleep in Denver and highlights the dangers of microsleeps during driving. The script includes an experiment where the narrator, after staying awake for 32 hours, experiences the effects of sleep deprivation on driving at the Liberty Mutual Research Institute, revealing the unconscious lapses in attention that can occur even when one feels awake.
Takeaways
- 🚗 Drowsy driving is a significant issue with an estimated quarter million Americans driving tired every day.
- 😴 Falling asleep at the wheel is dangerous and can lead to accidents, with 6,800 drivers dying each year due to this cause.
- 📉 Drowsy driving is the second leading cause of fatal vehicle accidents, just behind drunk driving.
- 💤 Sleep deprivation affects not only driving but also workplace safety, costing an estimated $31 billion in damages annually.
- 🧠 The human brain has a strong drive to sleep, which can override conscious efforts to stay awake, especially when fatigued.
- 🛣️ A video example shows a woman in Denver driving 30 miles asleep at the wheel, narrowly avoiding collisions.
- 🧬 Microsleep is a phenomenon where a person falls asleep for a few seconds without realizing it, which can be particularly hazardous while driving.
- 🔬 The script describes an experiment at the Liberty Mutual Research Institute to study the effects of sleep deprivation on driving.
- 📊 Brainwave and eye movement tracking revealed the occurrence of microsleeps, with the subject experiencing them 21 times during the experiment.
- 🚫 The experiment showed that driving while sleep-deprived is too dangerous, as the subject eventually had to stop due to the risk.
- 🏁 The importance of recognizing the signs of sleep deprivation and the potential for microsleeps is highlighted to prevent accidents.
Q & A
What is the estimated number of Americans who drive drowsy every day?
-An estimated quarter million Americans drive drowsy every day.
What is the reported outcome of a woman driving asleep in Denver?
-The woman drove 30 miles while asleep at the wheel, narrowly missing other vehicles, before being pulled over by a police car.
How many drivers each year fall asleep while driving and die in crashes?
-Approximately 6,800 drivers each year fall asleep while driving and die in crashes.
What is the ranking of drowsy driving as a cause of fatal vehicle accidents?
-Drowsy driving is the second leading cause of fatal vehicle accidents, behind drunk driving and ahead of driving while texting.
What is the estimated cost of workplace accidents from sleep deprivation per year?
-Workplace accidents from sleep deprivation cost an estimated $31 billion in damage every year.
What is the phenomenon experienced by some drowsy drivers called?
-The phenomenon experienced by some drowsy drivers is called micro sleep.
What does micro sleep entail for a driver?
-Micro sleep entails falling asleep for just a few seconds without realizing it, which can be extremely dangerous while driving.
How long did the volunteer stay awake for the experiment on sleep deprivation effects on driving?
-The volunteer stayed awake for 32 consecutive hours for the experiment.
What research institute was the volunteer taken to after staying awake for 32 hours?
-The volunteer was taken to the Liberty Mutual Research Institute outside of Boston.
What was the volunteer's experience during the driving experiment after staying awake for 32 hours?
-The volunteer experienced microsleeps and eventually fell asleep at the wheel, driving completely off the road.
How many times did the volunteer micro sleep during the driving experiment, according to Dr. Sizer?
-According to Dr. Sizer, the volunteer micro slept 21 times during the driving experiment.
Outlines
😴 Drowsy Driving Dangers
This paragraph highlights the perils of drowsy driving, noting that around a quarter million Americans drive while tired daily. The script describes a shocking video of a woman in Denver who was caught driving asleep, narrowly avoiding accidents over 30 miles before being pulled over by the police. The dangers are underscored by statistics showing that drowsy driving is the second leading cause of fatal accidents, just behind drunk driving. The paragraph also introduces the concept of 'micro sleep,' a phenomenon where drivers fall asleep for a few seconds without realizing, which was experienced by the volunteer in an experiment at the Liberty Mutual Research Institute.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Drowsy driving
💡Micro sleep
💡Fatigue
💡Accidents
💡Sleep deprivation
💡Brainwaves
💡Eye movement
💡Liberty Mutual Research Institute
💡Workplace accidents
💡Ron Claiborne
💡Nightline
Highlights
An estimated 250,000 Americans drive drowsy every day, leading to dangerous situations on the road.
Drowsy driving is the second leading cause of fatal vehicle accidents, just behind drunk driving.
Sleep deprivation can cause workplace accidents costing $31 billion in damages every year.
The brain's powerful drive for sleep can lead to involuntary microsleeps while driving, even if the eyes remain open.
Microsleeps are brief periods of sleep that occur without the driver realizing, lasting a few seconds.
The experiment subject stayed awake for 32 hours to experience the effects of sleep deprivation on driving.
Liberty Mutual Research Institute studies the impact of sleep deprivation on driving performance.
During the experiment, the subject's brainwaves and eye movements were monitored to detect signs of sleep.
Despite feeling okay initially, the subject quickly became extremely tired and struggled to keep eyes open while driving.
The subject experienced microsleeps while driving, with the brain being asleep for 2-6 seconds at a time.
At one point, the subject fell completely asleep at the wheel and drove off the road, highlighting the dangers of drowsy driving.
The experiment showed that the subject microslept 21 times during the drive, each time lasting a few seconds.
If driving at 60 mph, the subject would have traveled the length of a football field asleep during the microsleeps.
The experiment was conducted in a highly controlled environment with safety precautions at speeds of 20-30 mph.
Thousands of sleep-deprived Americans drive at high speeds of 50-70 mph, unaware of the risks of drowsy driving.
The experiment subject realized the danger and acknowledged the scary reality of driving while fatigued.
Transcripts
between the hamster wheel grind at work
the commute to and from fatigue on the
open road can seem like an accepted fact
of modern life in fact an estimated
quarter million Americans drive drowsy
every day but of course nodding off
behind the wheel can quickly turn into a
very real nightmare so the next time you
find yourself with miles to go before
you sleep something to think about
from ABC's Ron Claiborne the video is
shocking a woman driving a car in Denver
asleep at the wheel watch as she drifts
in and out of her Lane narrowly missing
other vehicles somehow she never crashes
she drove 30 miles before a police car
was finally able to pull her over about
6800 drivers each year aren't so lucky
they fall asleep while driving crash and
die drowsy driving is the second leading
cause of fatal vehicle accidents behind
only drunk driving and ahead of driving
while texting and it's not just driving
that's affected a recent study in the
Journal of the American Medical
Association estimated that workplace
accidents from sleep deprivation cost
thirty 1 billion dollars of damage every
year sleep is such a powerful drive that
if you really need it the brain is going
to say AHA sleep and and that can be an
incredibly dangerous situation but it's
driving while sleepy that is especially
harrowing some drowsy drivers experience
a phenomenon that you've probably never
heard of called micro sleep where you
fall asleep for just a few seconds
without realizing it I volunteered to be
the guinea pig an experiment to see how
I would be affected driving without
enough sleep gonna be up all night first
I stayed up for 32 consecutive hours
I've hit the proverbial wall then I
travel to the Liberty Mutual Research
Institute outside of Boston where they
study the effects of sleep deprivation
on driving it can happen in the blink of
an eye chronic lack of sleep fogs the
mind makes people more likely to make
mistakes at school or work it makes us
emotionally volatile and more prone to
illness at the research lab I was hooked
up to a brainwave
and a device that tracks eye movement I
feel okay now but not great then I got
behind the wheel of a minivan as tired
as I was I thought I would be okay we'll
see we'll see I feel like I can drive
pretty well then I started driving on a
closed track with the researchers
sitting next to me you could step on an
emergency brake if things went awry
I'm feeling pretty pretty worn out soon
I was becoming sleepier and sleepier it
became a struggle to keep my eyes open
and just to hold my head up before long
I was experiencing microsleep I look
like a normal awake driver but what you
can't tell is that my brain is actually
asleep about half an hour in it became
more obvious I had fallen asleep at the
wheel and driven completely off the road
that was good I soon realized I just
couldn't go on good idea it was just too
dangerous that was tough
back in the lab doctor sizer showed me
just what was going on inside my brain
while I was driving yes this is evidence
that you're falling asleep my eyes were
open but see how these lines are
becoming more jagged that's sleep coming
on and these lines show my blinking is
getting slower and what about when I
drove off the road we could see it
coming in your brainwaves looking at the
chart here how long was my micro sleep
in this one episode so in this one
episode we're talking about one two
three four five or six seconds what was
most shocking doctor sizer said I fell
asleep i micro slept 21 other times you
had dozens of times where your eyes
began rolling around in their sockets
this would happen for 2 3 4 seconds you
could get a couple of good rolls in if
I've been driving 60 miles an hour I
would have gone the length of a football
field asleep and then you'd come to and
then you keep driving it I'd remembered
none of them fortunately I had been in a
highly controlled situation with safety
precautions driving just 20 to 30 miles
an hour
every day thousands of sleep-deprived
Americans go whizzing along at 50 60 70
miles an hour convinced as I was that
they can outrace their own fatigue I was
in a real Twilight Zone the entire time
and it was scary for Nightline I'm Ron
Claiborne in Hopkinton Massachusetts
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