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WASHINGTON, D. C. (Friday, March 9, 2018) –– This weekend most Americans will lose an hour of sleep by night and gain an extra hour of daylight by day, as they set their clocks forward an hour. “Spring forward. Fall back.” Forsake not beauty rest. Yet just 31.9 percent of adults in Washington, D.C. get “7 hours of sleep.” Daylight Saving Time officially starts at two o’clock, Sunday morning, March 11.  “Where’re the sun doth its successive journeys run,” it will take two weeks for most of us to get used to it. One Canadian researcher has linked an increase in traffic crashes “to the onset of Daylight Saving Time.”

Although we lose just one hour’s sleep, with 60 dim minutes in it, physicians warn that “moving our clocks in either direction changes the principal time cue – light – for setting and resetting our 24-hour natural cycle, or circadian rhythm.” That mismatched or out of sync internal clock shouldn’t be taken lightly in view of research showing that it can increase the risks of strokes, heart attacks, disturbed sleep cycles, obesity, diabetes, workplace accidents, and drowsy driving-related traffic crashes. Drowsy driving will be a major threat on area roadways Monday A.M. as Washington area residents rise earlier to go to work, warns AAA.

In fact, drowsy driving is a bigger traffic safety issue than federal estimates show, according to research released last month by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. It reveals what many have long suspected: Drivers who don’t get enough sleep are putting everyone on the road at risk. To ascertain this, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety conducted an in-depth analysis using video of everyday drivers. As a result, researchers were able to better assess if a driver was fatigued in the moments leading up to a crash. We are a nation of sleepyheads. A third of adults usually gets less than the recommended amount of sleep.

“Driving drowsy is a serious risk. Sleep-deprived drivers need to know the symptoms and get plenty of sleep before hitting the road,” said John B. Townsend II, Manager of Public and Government Affairs at AAA Mid-Atlantic. “Like zombies behind the wheel, three in 10 drivers admit to driving when they could hardly keep their eyes open. Be safe. Get at least seven hours of sleep before getting behind the wheel.”

Remarkably, the percentage of crashes involving drowsiness is nearly eight times higher than federal estimates indicate, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The difficulty in detecting drowsiness following a crash makes drowsy driving one of the most underreported traffic safety issues. The new research provides an unprecedented analysis of in-vehicle dashcam video from more than 700 crashes, confirming that the danger of drowsy driving soars above official estimates. This weekend, millions of drivers will have difficulty springing forward. Come Monday, the prevalence of short sleep will loom large.

In the study, researchers examined video of drivers’ faces in the three minutes leading up to a crash.

Using a scientific measure linking the percentage of time a person’s eyes are closed to their level of drowsiness, the researchers determined that 9.5 percent of all crashes and 10.8 percent of crashes resulting in significant property damage involved drowsiness. Federal estimates indicate drowsiness is a factor in only one to two percent of crashes.

Even so, 35 percent of drivers in the United States sleep less than the recommended minimum of seven hours daily, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In a recent related AAA Foundation survey, nearly all drivers (96 percent) say they view drowsy driving as a serious threat to their safety and a completely unacceptable behavior. However, 29 percent admitted to driving when they were so tired they had a hard time keeping their eyes open at some point in the past month.

“Sleepiness and driving don’t mix. As many Americans struggle to balance their busy schedules, missing a few hours of sleep each day can often seem harmless,” said Townsend. “But missing just two to three hours of sleep can more than quadruple your risk for a crash, which is the equivalent of driving drunk.”

“You are getting sleepy.” Knowing the warning signs of drowsiness can help drivers avoid dozing off behind the wheel. The most common symptoms include:

• Having trouble keeping your eyes open.
• Drifting from your lane.
• Not remembering the last few miles driven.

“Short Sleep.” Drivers however should not rely on their bodies to provide warning signs for drowsiness and should instead prioritize getting at least seven hours of sleep before hitting the road.

“Don’t be fooled, the only antidote for drowsiness is sleep,” said Kurt Gray, Director of Driver Services for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “Short term tactics like drinking coffee, singing, rolling down the window will not work. Your body’s need for sleep will eventually override your brain’s attempts to stay awake.”

AAA recommends that drivers:

• Travel at times of the day when they are normally awake.
• Avoid heavy foods.
• Avoid medications that cause drowsiness or other impairment.

For longer trips, drivers should:

• Schedule a break every two hours or every 100 miles.
• Travel with an alert passenger and take turns driving.
• Do not underestimate the power of a quick nap. Pulling into a rest stop and taking a quick catnap -- at least 20 minutes and no more than 30 minutes of sleep-- can help to keep you alert on the road.

To help drivers determine if their medications may cause drowsiness, AAA and the AAA Foundation developed Roadwise Rx, a free and confidential online tool that generates personalized feedback about how the interactions between prescription, over-the-counter medicines and herbal supplements can affect safety behind the wheel. All told, 78 countries observe Daylight Saving Time (DST).  However, DST is not observed in Arizona (except for the Navajo on tribal lands), Hawaii, and the “overseas territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands.”

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s report, Prevalence of Drowsy Driving Crashes: Estimates from a Large-Scale Naturalistic Driving Study, is based on the analysis of in-vehicle video footage of crashes that occurred during the Second Strategic Highway Research Program’s Naturalistic Driving Study (SHRP 2 NDS). The federally funded study recruited 3,593 drivers from six study sites across the U.S. The drivers were monitored continually using in-vehicle video and other data collection equipment while driving their personal vehicles for a period of several months. 

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AAA provides automotive, travel and insurance services to 57 million members nationwide and nearly 78,000 members in the District of Columbia.  AAA advocates for the safety and mobility of its members and has been committed to outstanding road service for more than 100 years.  The not-for-profit, fully tax-paying member organization works on behalf of motorists, who can now map a route, find local gas prices, discover discounts, book a hotel and track their roadside assistance service with the AAA Mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android. For more information, visit  https://aaa.com