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Don’t Drive Tired— Stay Safe & Save on Auto Insurance
“Only 2 hours to go,” you tell yourself, as you crack open the windows, blast some tunes and down the rest of your Big Gulp. A half-hour later your eyelids grow heavy and your head begins to nod. You start drifting out of your lane. A horn blasts. You startle awake and jerk your car back into your lane. You were falling asleep behind the wheel.
Esurance offers some driving tired statistics and tips you can use when you start feeling sleepy behind the wheel:
- “Mind over matter” doesn’t apply when you’re severely tired. You have no control over when you fall asleep.
- Falling asleep for even a few seconds could cause an accident. The American Trucking Associations define mini-sleeps as 4-to 5-second naps. When you’re driving, those 4-5 stolen seconds add up quickly— at 55 mph you could travel more than 100 yards asleep!
- Your reaction time is slowed.
- Caffeine takes 30 minutes to kick in, and when it does its effects are short-lived.
- Most people get sleepy in the afternoon between 2 to 5 p.m. and early morning between 2 to 6 a.m.
- One alcoholic beverage has the effect of 4 or 5 drinks when you’re tired.
- Drowsy accident rates are highest among young people, especially males under age 25.
What can you do?
- Take care of yourself— get enough sleep every night so you’re well rested. When you stay up late, plan to go to bed early or sleep in late the next day.
- Understand your biological clock— whether you’re a “morning person” or a “night owl”— and plan long drives when you’re most alert.
- When you’re sleepy, take a power nap! Pull over at a rest stop and take a 15-20 minute rest.
- On road trips take 15-20 minute breaks every 2 hours, switch drivers regularly, and set a reasonable limit on the number of hours you drive per day.
Make the roads safer, prevent yourself from becoming a fatigue-related statistic, and avoid auto insurance premium increases by using good judgment and being reasonable about your body’s limitations.
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