Officials Waking Up To Danger Of Drowsy Drivers
The May 1994 crash that killed a delivery man outside Redmond had investigators baffled.
It was broad daylight. The other driver wasn’t drunk or on drugs. Conditions on Washington 202 were fine. The driver had simply crossed the center line and smashed into the delivery man’s vehicle.
So the Major Accident Investigation Team - a joint effort of the Washington State Patrol and the state Department of Transportation - tracked the movements of 33-year-old Jeffrey Wishman for the 24 hours prior to the crash.
Investigators discovered Wishman had worked a full day at his job and then went to his new apartment and worked in it all night. “He hadn’t slept at all and was going back to work the next day when the accident happened,” said Sgt. John Hunter, who heads the investigation team.
Wishman’s car crossed the highway’s center line and smashed into a delivery truck driven by Wayne Felt, 52. Felt died instantly.
Transportation officials told The Olympian that the case illustrates a scary problem: Drivers falling asleep at the wheel killed at least 26 people in Washington last year, and injured 1,137.
But that’s just what police and traffic safety experts know for sure; they say the death and injury toll caused by fatigued drivers is actually much higher.
“If a person falls asleep, drives off the road and hits a tree and dies, how do you know he fell asleep? There’s no test for fatigue,” said Jonna Van Dyk of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.
As a result, the fatal accident simply goes in statistics books as “crossed the center line” or “driver inattention.” In those categories in 1995, 369 people were killed and 12,074 were injured.
Because of this concern, the state Traffic Safety Commission sponsored a regional conference last month on driver fatigue, inviting police and traffic experts from Western states and national sleep experts.
Some of what they learned:
The driver fatigue problem is most acute in the West, where there are many long, straight stretches of deserted highway. In Washington state, the problem is most serious east of the Cascades.
Besides late at night and early in the morning, people become fatigued about 2 p.m., the body’s natural siesta time after working all morning and then filling up on lunch.
Some people have sleep disorders that can cause them to fall asleep at any time.
People can build up a sleep “debt,” by shaving one or two hours off normal sleep, which eventually makes it impossible for them to stay awake.
“Rolling down the window, playing loud music, drinking coffee, none of that will work to keep you awake,” Van Dyk said.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was given $1 million to investigate driver fatigue and to develop public awareness campaigns.
Police are talking to clubs and groups. The state Traffic Safety Commission has brochures and a video illustrating the problem.
The state DOT also is trying new things. Traffic engineers began putting signs in problem areas, such as: “Drowsy? Services in 4 miles,” or “Tired? Rest area in 10 miles.”
A new kind of highway rumble strip is successful, too. It’s a Pennsylvania design in which 17-inch-long divots are gouged out of the pavement at 1-foot intervals.
“Your tires get on those and just really rumble,” state traffic safety engineer David Peach said. “You feel it in your steering wheel and hear it in the tires. It’s pretty effective.”
xxxx AT A GLANCE Drowsy driving, at a glance: In 1995, 26 people were killed in Washington car accidents in which a motorist apparently fell asleep; 1,137 were injured. Police believe fatigue is also a factor in many other accidents, particularly those in which cause is listed as driver inattention, crossing the center line or driving while intoxicated. In those categories in 1995, 369 people were killed and 12,074 were injured. Staying awake and alive: There are only two ways to protect yourself from the dangers of fatigued driving, experts say - plan ahead to get enough rest before you start a trip, or pull over and take a 10-minute nap when you find yourself getting sleepy. Even a short nap is effective in reviving a sleepy driver. What will not work for long is playing the radio loud, opening the window and drinking coffee. For a copy of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission report on the driver fatigue conference, call the commission at (360) 753-6197 to be put on a mailing list. Reports will be mailed when they are complete. Associated Press