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Daylight Savings Time: A time to “fall back,” not asleep at the wheel
November 1, 2007... On November 4th, people across the United States will turn their clocks back in observance of the end of Daylight Savings and will gain an extra hour’s sleep. This is good news considering that most Americans do not get enough sleep throughout the year, putting most motorists at risk of dozing off at the wheel. As a result of an estimated 90 drowsy driving related deaths per year in Massachusetts, Governor Patrick and the Legislature have designated November 5-11th Drowsy Driving Prevention Week. To commemorate this first in the nation observance, Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, joined with state transportation and public safety officials today at a State House ceremony to raise awareness of the dangers of drowsy driving and to advocate for measures at the state level. “It is critical that people are aware of this serious roadway danger and are aware of the consequences of a lack of sleep,” said Moore. “This is both a public safety issue and a public health concern that cannot be addressed simply by acknowledging the problem. We have to educate people about it and give our law enforcement officials the tools to address it.” The State House ceremony included a chilling account of the human impact of drowsy driving, as Janet Raneri of Hopedale told the story of her son, Maj. Robert Raneri, a victim of a drowsy driving accident. Her powerful and emotional words provided a glimpse into the true and devastating impact falling asleep at the wheel can provide. Also speaking at the ceremony were Lt. Dana Pagley of the Mass. State Police, Anne Collins, Registrar of Motor Vehicles, Luisa Paiewonsky, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Highway Department, and Dr. Charles Czeisler of the Harvard Medical School. In a 2005 poll by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), 60% of adult drivers – about 168 million people – admitted to driving a vehicle while feeling drowsy, and more than one-third – about 103 million people – admitted to actually falling asleep at the wheel. Unlike alcohol related incidents, a person who falls asleep while driving has no control of the vehicle and cannot take proper measures to avoid a crash. For this reason, drowsy driving crashes are often very serious or fatal, and are recognized by the lack of skid marks at the crash scene. Young drivers are most at risk, as only one in five adolescents get the optimal amount of sleep throughout the week, and more than half, 51%, report having driven drowsy in the past year. The combination of sleepiness, inexperience and lifestyle choices, including a tendency to drive at night and in the early morning hours, puts teens and young adults at high risk for drowsy driving and sleep-related incidents. Additionally, sufficient sleep time for young drivers is continually challenged by ongoing pressures including academic work load, extra curricular activities and early school start times. For more information, including safety tips for preventing drowsing driving, please visit Sen. Moore’s website at www.senatormoore.com. |
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