At approximately 2:45 am on Dec. 20, 2018, an officer from the Wyoming Dept. of Public Safety was traveling southbound on US 131, near 44th St SW, when he observed a wrong way driver going northbound in the southbound lanes. The officer immediately activated his emergency lights and siren to warn other drivers of the possible impending danger and pulled alongside of the wrong way vehicle, which was traveling at approximately 50-60 mph. The officer noticed that the driver appeared to be sleeping and used his cruiser to push the car to a stop. This quick thinking action almost certainly prevented a head-on collision which could have injured or killed someone.
It does not appear that alcohol or drugs were a factor in this incident and there were no injuries to the driver or officer. The driver of the vehicle stated he had been awake for more than 40 hours and was sleep deprived.
The Wyoming Department of Public Safety would like to take this opportunity to remind drivers of the dangers associated with “drowsy driving” or “fatigued driving.” The National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration (NHTSA) estimates that approximately 90,000 vehicle crashes in 2015 were caused by drowsy drivers in the United States. Additionally, there were 795 traffic fatalities in 2017 due to drowsy driving. Below are some tips from the NHTSA on how to avoid driving drowsy:
How To Avoid Driving Drowsy
1. Getting adequate sleep on a daily basis is the only true way to protect yourself against the risks of driving when you’re drowsy. Experts urge consumers to make it a priority to get seven to eight hours of sleep per night. For more information on healthy sleep, see Healthy Sleep At A Glance (PDF, 1.81 MB) at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website.
2. Before the start of a long family car trip, get a good night’s sleep, or you could put your entire family and others at risk.
3. Many teens do not get enough sleep at a stage in life when their biological need for sleep increases, which makes them vulnerable to the risk of drowsy-driving crashes, especially on longer trips. Advise your teens to delay driving until they’re well-rested.
4. Avoid drinking any alcohol before driving. Consumption of alcohol interacts with sleepiness to increase drowsiness and impairment.
5. Always check your prescription and over-the-counter medication labels to see if drowsiness could result from their use.
6. If you take medications that could cause drowsiness as a side effect, use public transportation when possible.
7. If you drive, avoid driving during the peak sleepiness periods (midnight – 6 a.m. and late afternoon). If you must drive during the peak sleepiness periods, stay vigilant for signs of drowsiness, such as crossing over roadway lines or hitting a rumble strip, especially if you’re driving alone.
Short-term Interventions
1. Drinking coffee or energy drinks alone is not always enough. They might help you feel more alert, but the effects last only a short time, and you might not be as alert as you think you are. If you drink coffee and are seriously sleep-deprived, you still may have “micro sleeps” or brief losses of consciousness that can last for four or five seconds. This means that at 55 miles per hour, you’ve traveled more than 100 yards down the road while asleep. That’s plenty of time to cause a crash.
2. If you start to get sleepy while you’re driving, drink one to two cups of coffee and pull over for a short 20-minute nap in a safe place, such as a lighted, designated rest stop. This has been shown to increase alertness in scientific studies, but only for short time periods.
