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Drowsy Driving Prevention And Statistics


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Drowsy Driving: The Silent – But Deadly – Practice You Might Not Know About

Any drivers education program would be incomplete without multiple warnings against drunk driving. By the time you enter high school, if you haven’t already heard about the dangers of driving while intoxicated, you definitely will have by the time you start driving. With all of the awareness campaigns against this practice, drunk driving fatalities have dropped by 51% since the early 80s.

However, drunk driving has a dangerous, lesser-known equivalent: drowsy driving. The numbers are nothing to yawn at, either. Driving while tired is responsible for an estimated 100,000 crashes, 71,000 injuries after a car accident, and at least 1,500 deaths per year. In fact, the statistics are likely to be even higher due to how difficult it is to detect.

Why Drowsy Driving is So Dangerous

Drowsy driving, as the name implies, is what happens when a driver is too tired to stay alert behind the wheel. Doing anything while sleep-deprived is difficult, and driving requires our focus in a way that few other things do. Exhaustion causes you to have slower reflexes, get easily distracted, and make poor decisions. Any one of these can lead to accidents on the road.

The UCLA Sleep Center published a study which found that someone running on four hours of sleep would react the same way to one beer as someone with a full night of sleep would to six. Not only that, but also one survey found that a shocking 55% of police admitted to driving while sleep-deprived in the year leading up to the study.

What’s Being Done to Fight Drowsy Driving

In the United States, there are very few states which currently have laws against drowsy driving. Arkansas lists ‘fatigued’ driving as negligent homicide – a class A-misdemeanor – as long as the driver has gone without sleep for 24 consecutive hours. In New Jersey, convicted drivers are charged for driving recklessly just like a drunk driver.

Other states, such as Alabama and California, have drowsy driving awareness days, while Texas and Florida each dedicate an entire week to the cause.

Abroad, both the UK and Australia have laws in place to regulate drowsy driving offenses. Neither nation is as hard on the practice as either Arkansas or New Jersey, but it’s a positive step tin penalizing those who take the road while tired.  

How You Can Avoid Drowsy Driving

AAA has recommended that drivers employ a variety of tools to avoid falling asleep at the wheel. Getting a full night of sleep before hitting the road, taking a break every couple of hours or 100 miles (whichever comes first), and having someone else in the car that will stay alert and split the responsibility of driving with are all good practices.

Nothing is a true replacement for a full night of sleep. However, if you find yourself losing the battle to exhaustion while at the wheel it is certainly better to pull off the road and take a nap than it is to risk causing harm to yourself and others.

How to clean your steering wheel and keep it that way


A clock with the words fast service on it.Steering wheels are the part of your car that your hands touch all the
time. Apparently, they do not come on the list of cleanest parts of your
car. Over time, dust and grime accumulates on the steering wheel. Don’t
worry as here are a few tips that will help you keep your steering wheel
neat and tidy.

#1. Dirt removal
Keep a piece of clean cloth in your car’s glove box. Use it to wipe clean
your steering while everytime before you take your car out.
#2. Start using quick wipes
Start keeping and using quick wipes to clean your steering wheel. As
they come pre-packed with the cleaner and conditioner in the right
proportion, there is no need for you to clean the excess fluids as there
will be none.
#3. Regular cleaning
Start cleaning your steering wheel every day. This will not only ensure
everyday hygiene but also make the deep cleaning process easier.
#4. The Type of wheel
The most common steering wheels are made of hard plastic, natural
wood, or synthetic resin. Each has its own cleaning method.
The hard plastic: To clean the hard plastic wheel, all you need is
some soap, water and clean piece of cloth. Use the soap to clean
the wheel thoroughly then use the water to clean the dirt. Finally,
use the clean cloth to wipe off the dirty water.
The wooden type: To clean a wooden wheel you need a dry cloth
and some wood polish. Once you have cleaned the wooden wheel
with your dry cloth, use the polish to give it a shiny look.
The synthetic resin type: For the synthetic resin type, use soap
and water to clean the dirt and grime. Finally, use a clean cloth or
towel clean off the excess water.

Cleaning and maintaining a leather steering wheel

1. If you happen to own a car with a leather steering wheel, use a
blob of leather cleaner and a moist cloth to clean your leather
steering. Once done, use a dry towel wipe off the excess water.
2. Once you’re done cleaning the leather, apply a leather conditioner
to the leather and let it dry for half an hour. Post this, wipe of the
excess conditioner with a clean towel.
3. If you do not have 30 minutes for the conditioner to dry off, use a
soft dry towel to wipe off the excess. A slippery steering wheel can
be dangerous for your journey.
Think about it. You always use your hands to drive your car using the
steering wheel so cleaning it will be hygienic for you and everyone who
uses your car. Kindly check the below infographic shared by Forever
Sharp for further information.

9 Quick Tips To Clean And Maintain Your Steering Wheel

Image courtesy: Forever Sharp

A clock with the words fast service on it.

Author Bio: Matthew King is an automotive enthusiast and runs the
Forever Sharp family business. When he’s not busy researching new
designs and products, you can find him at the local classic car shows.