Study: 37 percent of us have fallen asleep at the wheel

Have you ever gotten into your car and thought, “I am so tired, but I can make it home?”

According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drowsy driving causes an estimated 1,550 deaths a year and this happens to be “Drowsy Driving Prevention Week.”

The National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep in America poll broke down how tired we really are in the car and this might scare you right off the road. According to the 2006 survey, 60 percent of adult drivers say they have driven a vehicle while feeling drowsy and more than 37 percent of us have actually fallen asleep at the wheel.

Sleep related crashes are most common in young people, especially men, adults with children, and shift workers, of which there are thousands around the Puget Sound.

The Washington State Patrol has special training in identifying fatigue and it has increased “drowsy driving” patrols in an effort to educate the public.

Let’s say you fall asleep behind the wheel and get into an accident, then what? Even in Washington, we do not have specific drowsy driving laws. Washington state, however, has handed down jail sentences for tired drivers. If you fall asleep behind the wheel, you could be charged with vehicular assault or even vehicular homicide.

It might be easier said than done, but the next time you think, “it’s fine, I can make it home,” just pull over and sleep in a parking lot.