This month’s tragic accident involving a vehicle carrying comedian Tracy Morgan and several others has focused new attention on an old problem; drowsy driving.
Morgan was critically injured and fellow comedian James McNair was killed when a Walmart tractor-trailer truck slammed into their limousine. The truck driver, it was later learned, had been without sleep for more than 24 hours.
The accident occurred on the New Jersey Turnpike in the early hours of June 7, in a state that has long taken a tough stand against drowsy driving. New Jersey was the first state to prohibit drowsy driving in 2003 with the passage of “Maggie’s Law.”
The law is based on the fact that being sleepy behind the wheel poses a danger because of impaired judgment, slower reaction time, impaired coordination and increased aggressiveness.
Felony charges
The truck driver in the Morgan accident has been charged with vehicular homicide and four counts of assault by auto.
The New Jersey law applies to all drivers but the trucking industry has its own set of rules that govern how much rest drivers must get, just as aviation regulations limit a pilot’s time in the cockpit.
The high-profile New Jersey accident occurred amidst debate in Congress over changes to established hours-of-service rules for truck drivers. American Trucking Associations President and CEO Bill Graves says the proposed rule changes do not really address how much sleep truck drivers have to get.
“The hours-of-service rules – whether they are the current regulations, the pre-2013 rules, or the rules with changes we hope to see as a result of Congressional action – only place limits on driving and on-duty time and require that between work periods drivers take a minimum of 10 consecutive hours off-duty,” Graves said in a statement. They do not dictate what drivers do during that off-duty period. No rule can address what a driver does in his or her off-duty time.”
Current regulations
The current rule, put in place a year ago, requires truck drivers to take a half-hour break after being on duty for 8 hours and to take at least 34 consecutive hours off between work weeks. Those 34 hours must also contain two consecutive off periods between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.
Graves says the industry supports changes to the current restrictions on use of the hours-of-service restart provision, which he says alters driver sleep patterns and puts more trucks on the road during more risky daylight hours.
He says fatigue is a factor in only 10% of truck crashes. But experts says it can be an important safety issue, not just for truck drivers but for anyone behind the wheel without adequate sleep.
Fatigue factor
“When you are sleep-deprived for more than 24 hours, you need stronger sensory stimulation to maintain alertness,” said Xue Ming, a sleep medicine doctor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark.
Impairment might be hard to notice in some cases. Sensory input such as light, noise and touch keeps people alert. In a vehicle alone, late at night, there is less stimulation.
All to often, Ming says, the brain will drift into a full sleep state or a micro sleep, which can last from a fraction of a second up to 30 seconds.
“In this state, the person feels like he is awake – he might even still have his eyes open – but he is actually asleep,” she said.
As you might expect drivers are most prone to dozing off from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., when their circadian rhythm – which regulates periods of sleepiness and wakefulness – declines.
Staying alert
Ming says there are several ways to remain alert when a driver starts to fade out. Take a 20-minute nap, down two cups of coffee or similar caffeinated beverage, brighten the dashboard or purchase a visor light box that simulates morning light for the passenger side, since light boosts alertness.
“But, if you are feeling really tired,” Ming says, “the best thing to do is park your car and call a cab.”
Comments are closed.