Awake for 18 hours? You are driving like you have had a drink
After a long day without sleep, reaction times look like those of someone well past India's legal alcohol limit.
Think of an ordinary day that starts at 6 in the morning. By midnight you have been awake for 18 hours. Now think of the drive home after a late office dinner, a wedding, or a night shift.
A well-known Australian study kept volunteers awake and tested their reactions and coordination at intervals, then compared the results with the same people after drinking alcohol. After 17 to 19 hours without sleep, their performance was as poor as, or worse than, at a blood alcohol level of 0.05%. Stay awake longer and it matched 0.1%. India's legal limit for driving is 0.03%.
Nobody breathalyses you for being tired, and tired drivers rarely notice how impaired they are. They have "microsleeps", a few seconds in which the brain simply switches off. At 80 km/h, four seconds is almost 90 metres with nobody in control of the car.
Before you get behind the wheel - If you have been awake 17 hours or more, let someone else drive, or take a cab. - On long highway drives, stop every two hours even if you feel fine. - Heavy eyelids, yawning, drifting across lanes, missing a turn or not remembering the last few kilometres all mean pull over now. - A cup of coffee followed by a 20-minute nap works better than either alone. Open windows and loud music do very little. - Loud snoring, choking in your sleep and daytime sleepiness can be sleep apnoea. It is common, treatable, and a big cause of drowsy driving.
Where this comes from - Williamson AM, Feyer AM. Moderate sleep deprivation produces impairments in cognitive and motor performance equivalent to legally prescribed levels of alcohol intoxication. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2000. - Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, Section 185 (30 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood).
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