Sleepy Drivers Can Dose Unknowingly

Summary

The 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

00:00

😴 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.

Keywords

💡Drowsy driving

Drowsy driving refers to operating a vehicle while feeling excessively sleepy, which can significantly impair a driver's alertness and reaction time. In the context of the video, drowsy driving is highlighted as a major cause of fatal accidents, second only to drunk driving. The script mentions that an estimated quarter million Americans drive drowsy every day, indicating the prevalence and severity of this issue.

💡Micro sleep

Micro sleep is a phenomenon where an individual unknowingly falls asleep for a few seconds at a time. This concept is crucial in the video as it illustrates the involuntary nature of sleep when the body is sleep-deprived. The script provides an example of the experiment where the volunteer experienced micro sleep while driving, demonstrating the danger of such occurrences on the road.

💡Fatigue

Fatigue is a state of feeling tired, weak, or exhausted, both physically and mentally. The video script uses the term to describe the cumulative effect of long work hours and commuting, which can lead to drowsy driving. Fatigue is portrayed as an 'accepted fact' of modern life, emphasizing its commonality and the need to address it.

💡Accidents

Accidents in the video refer to vehicle crashes caused by factors such as drowsy or drunk driving. The script states that about 6,800 drivers die each year due to falling asleep while driving, underscoring the deadly consequences of drowsiness behind the wheel.

💡Sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation is the lack of sufficient sleep, which can have various negative effects on cognitive function and overall health. The video discusses how sleep deprivation can lead to workplace accidents and is a significant factor in drowsy driving, costing billions of dollars in damage annually.

💡Brainwaves

Brainwaves are the electrical activity produced by the brain that can be measured and analyzed. In the video, brainwaves are monitored to demonstrate the transition from wakefulness to sleep while driving. The script describes how the jagged lines in the brainwave chart indicate the onset of sleep, providing a scientific perspective on drowsy driving.

💡Eye movement

Eye movement refers to the physical movement of the eyes, which can be tracked to assess alertness and sleepiness. The video script mentions a device that tracks eye movement to study the effects of sleep deprivation on driving. It is used to identify instances of micro sleep during the experiment.

💡Liberty Mutual Research Institute

The Liberty Mutual Research Institute is an organization mentioned in the script that conducts research on the effects of sleep deprivation on driving. The video's volunteer visits this institute to participate in an experiment that simulates the effects of driving without sufficient sleep.

💡Workplace accidents

Workplace accidents are incidents that occur within a professional environment, often resulting in injury or damage. The video cites a study that estimates the cost of such accidents caused by sleep deprivation to be around 31 billion dollars every year, highlighting the economic impact of sleep deprivation beyond the road.

💡Ron Claiborne

Ron Claiborne is the reporter from ABC who presents the video script. His role is to introduce the topic of drowsy driving, provide statistics, and share the results of the experiment conducted at the Liberty Mutual Research Institute. His narration helps to convey the seriousness of the issue.

💡Nightline

Nightline is the news program on ABC that aired the video. It is mentioned in the script as the platform through which Ron Claiborne reports on the dangers of drowsy driving. The reference to Nightline situates the video within a broader context of news reporting.

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