Don't Fall Asleep at Car's Wheel
Insurance companies are in the business of providing financial assistance when you experience a loss, but just as important they also provide incentives to help prevent future losses. Some of those incentives include a health policy that reimburses for preventive wellness checkups, discounts for alarm systems on homeowners, and anti-theft and accident-free discounts for autos.
Incentives are good but active prevention is best, such as: observing the speed limits, no cell phone usage while driving, no driving after drinking alcohol, and one of the most effective prevention tools—no sleeping while driving. Did I wake you up with that one? According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, driving drowsy can be just as deadly as driving drunk, and sleepy people behave in similar ways to people who are drunk.
Your body has its own clock—a biological clock. This clock tells you when you’re hungry, when you’re sleepy, and makes your body temperature go up and down. Most people’s clocks run on a daily rhythm of approximately 24 hours—but what "time" it is varies from person to person.
Nighttime is very risky for drivers, since sleep can become an irresistible urge. That urge is strongest between midnight and 6 a.m., when drivers are especially likely to have sleep-related crashes. The clock is also programmed to make you feel sleepy in the middle of the afternoon, which can be a dangerous time. Many sleep-related crashes happen between 1 and 5 p.m., during the "afternoon lull."
Following are some danger signals for drowsy drivers:
Incentives are good but active prevention is best, such as: observing the speed limits, no cell phone usage while driving, no driving after drinking alcohol, and one of the most effective prevention tools—no sleeping while driving. Did I wake you up with that one? According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, driving drowsy can be just as deadly as driving drunk, and sleepy people behave in similar ways to people who are drunk.
Your body has its own clock—a biological clock. This clock tells you when you’re hungry, when you’re sleepy, and makes your body temperature go up and down. Most people’s clocks run on a daily rhythm of approximately 24 hours—but what "time" it is varies from person to person.
Nighttime is very risky for drivers, since sleep can become an irresistible urge. That urge is strongest between midnight and 6 a.m., when drivers are especially likely to have sleep-related crashes. The clock is also programmed to make you feel sleepy in the middle of the afternoon, which can be a dangerous time. Many sleep-related crashes happen between 1 and 5 p.m., during the "afternoon lull."
Following are some danger signals for drowsy drivers:
- You have trouble keeping your eyes open and focused.
- You yawn frequently or rub your eyes repeatedly.
- You miss signs or drive past your exit.
- You find yourself drifting from your lane or tailgating.
If you experience any of these signs, pull off the road and take a nap. There are so many things out of our control but preventing many types of accidents is not one of them. Drive down the cost of your insurance by doing all you can to prevent accidents and arrive alive. TPW