Assessing Risk Factors

Ask yourself these questions:

• Have you been awake for 18 hours or more?
• Have you had six hours sleep or less in the last 24 hours?
• Do you often drive between midnight and 6 a.m.?
• Do you frequently feel drowsy while you're driving?
• Do you work the night shift?
• Do you work more than one job?
• Do you have any sleep disorders?

If you have any of these indicators you are at a much higher risk of a drowsy-driving crash, even if you don't feel sleepy. Half the drivers who had drowsy-driving crashes said they felt "only slightly sleepy" or "not at all sleepy" right before the crash.

(Source: American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety)

At risk groups:

• Commercial vehicle drivers
• New/young drivers, especially young men
• Shift and split-shift workers
• People suffering from sleep disorders
• Drivers whose lifestyle affects the quality and quantity of their sleep

(Source: Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators)