Driver fatigue causes many more car accidents in the United States than previously estimated, a new report suggests. The finding comes from an analysis of several months’ worth of video recordings taken of nearly 3,600 Americans while they were driving. During that time, participating drivers were involved in 700 accidents. All participants’ vehicles had been outfitted with a dash-cam video recorder. That allowed researchers to analyze each driver’s face in the minutes right before crashing. The researchers also had video of the road scene in front of the drivers. Together, the footage suggested that the percentage of accidents involving sleepy drivers was about eight times higher than current federal estimates. The finding was highlighted in a report released Thursday by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The foundation describes the investigation into drowsy driving as the most in-depth of its kind to date. “Driver drowsiness is a notoriously difficult problem to quantify because it typically doesn’t leave behind evidence that a police officer can observe after the fact when investigating a crash — in contrast to alcohol, for example,” said Brian Tefft, a senior research associate with the foundation in Washington, D.C. “Thus, we expected that our study would find that the problem was substantially bigger than the official statistics from the U.S. DOT [Department of Transportation] suggest,” he said. “But we were still surprised… read on >
All Gear:
Does Your Medication Make You a Worse Driver?
Is that sleeping pill you took last night making it tougher for you to drive in the daytime? What about a heart medication? Or a new antidepressant? New research shows that many people taking prescription drugs aren’t aware that their meds could impair their ability to drive. “Most are aware of the potential dangerous side effects of sedatives and narcotics, but other medications — such as some antihistamines, some antidepressants, some blood pressure medications, muscle relaxants and even stimulants — may affect driving ability,” noted Dr. Alan Mensch, who reviewed the study findings. The findings have both medical and legal implications, added Mensch, who’s medical director at Plainview Hospital in New York. “Not commonly appreciated is that a DUI (driving under the influence) charge may not only involve alcohol or illegal substances. Drivers can also be charged with DUI related to prescription, as well as over-the-counter medications,” Mensch noted. The new study was led by Robin Pollini, of the Injury Control Research Center at West Virginia University. Reporting Nov. 1 in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, her team tracked 2013-2014 data from the National Roadside Survey. That survey asked more than 7,400 drivers at 60 sites across the United States about their current medication use. Nearly 20 percent of the drivers reported recent use of a prescription medication that could have affected… read on >
Can Aspirin Stop Liver Cancer in Hepatitis B Patients?
Study from Taiwan finds link between aspirin use and reduced cancer risk read on >
Will Climate Change Bring More Highway Deaths?
Study found link between rising temperatures, traffic fatalities read on >
Land Mines Being Replaced by More Deadly Explosive Devices: Study
IED victims lose multiple limbs, suffer more genital injuries read on >
Can Smartphone Use Bring on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Maybe, especially for folks who spend more than 5 hours a day on their devices, study says read on >
Posture Pointers for Computer Jockeys
Do Older Dads Produce Brainy Boys?
Study finds their sons score high in intelligence and focus read on >
NBA Players’ Late-Night Tweets May Be Bad for Their Game: Study
Those who posted turned in a poorer performance the next day; lack of sleep the likely culprit read on >
What to Know About Online Dating Sites
Always proceed with caution when looking for love in cyberspace read on >