A wake-up call to fight drowsy driving

It's a relatable experience. Your eyelids droop, and your head starts to nod. Yawning becomes almost constant, and your vision seems blurry. You blink hard, focus your eyes and suddenly realize that you've drifted toward the shoulder or across the center line, just for a second, and quickly straighten the wheel. It was a moment. You were lucky.

Nov. 7-14 is the National Sleep Foundation's Drowsy Driving Prevention Week. It's a time to reflect on how dangerously common — but preventable — drowsy driving truly is.

This danger of impairment is very real. We should consider drowsy driving on the same list as drunken, drugged and distracted driving — and perhaps more widespread. In a foundation survey of adult drivers, 60 percent reported driving while drowsy in the past year, and the percentage of drivers 18 and older who said they had fallen asleep while driving in the past 30 days translated to more than 10.3 million people. That's a wake-up call.

About 100,000 police-reported crashes each year are caused by fatigued drivers, resulting in conservative estimates of 6,400 fatalities and 71,000 injuries. For the past 28 years, the foundation has given recommendations and simple steps drivers can take to reduce their risk of drowsy driving, and we think automotive industry leaders can lend a loud voice along with us to help people get the sleep they need for road safety.

The automotive industry is intrinsic to our modern lifestyle. Millions rely on automobiles to get to work, travel and perform everyday tasks. The industry is successful and effective at engaging with consumers. It is perhaps the best at gaining insights into people's attitudes and behaviors.

Automotive manufacturers dream up technological advances and innovations, tell us the story about their visions, and make them real. Their advertising and communications excite and motivate us, and we definitely relate to them. The experts in their showrooms inform and guide us through one of the most significant purchases we make.

When it comes to safety, the automotive industry's strengths and know-how for engaging people can help make an impact far beyond the groundbreaking features they add to vehicles.

Before someone ever gets into the driver's seat with the latest controls, driver-monitoring systems or even autonomous driving capabilities, the industry can help proactively set a tone about the need for adequate sleep and alertness. We have the opportunity for a cultural shift, co-championed by the automotive industry, to encourage well-rested, alert drivers who can keep themselves, their passengers and fellow travelers safe.

The National Sleep Foundation Drowsy Driving Consensus Working Group's 2016 report concluded that drivers who have slept for two hours or less in the preceding 24 hours are not fit to operate a motor vehicle; those with only three to five hours of sleep would likely be impaired.

Being well rested for driving begins the evening before. Always start with a good night's sleep. While this varies from individual to individual, the foundation recommends seven to nine hours of sleep per night for adults and eight to 10 hours for teens.

Groups at highest risk include young people, shift workers, commercial drivers and people with untreated sleep disorders.

As the automotive industry champions and advances driver-safety technology, let's not forget the most important preventative measure: a well-rested driver. All drivers and passengers should be on the lookout for drowsy driving. Before you get behind the wheel, take a moment to assess your alertness and energy levels. If you feel sleepy, you probably aren't fit to drive.