Did you know that November 11 – November 17 was National Drowsy Driving Prevention Week? I know I didn't! With the holidays coming up, I thought it was important to let you all know some pretty scary statistics about drowsy driving and why you shouldn't do it! 96% of drivers consider it to be unacceptable for someone to drive when they are so sleepy that they have a hard time keeping their eyes open. That being said:

• Nearly one in ten licensed drivers report having fallen asleep or nodded off hwhile driving with the last year; 46 percent reported having done so at least once in their lifetimes
• 30% of licensed drivers reported having driven when they were so tired that they had a hard time keeping their eyes open in the past 30 days
• 20% reported having done this more than once, and 2.6% reported having done this fairly often or regularly!

Horrified yet? It gets worse. Among licensed drivers 16 – 24:

• 31% reported that they had driven while they were so sleepy that they had a hard time keeping their eyes open in the past 30 days. 18% reported having done so more than once in thes ltime and 5.7% percent reported having done so fairly often or regularly!
• One in seven licensed drivers reported having fallen asleep or nodded off while driving in the past year; 33% reported having done so at least once in their lifetime.

An estimated one in six fatal crashes, one in eight crashes resulting in hospitalization, and one in 14 of all crashes in which a passenger vehicle is towed involved a drowsy driver. Let all those numbers sink in, because that's a lot. This is something that doesn't have to happen! Here are a few tips to make sure you don't become a statistic:

• Get plenty of sleep
• Stop driving if you become sleepy!
• Travel at times when you are normally awake
• Schedule breaks every 2 hours or 100 miles
• Drink a caffeinated beverage. It takes about 30 minutes for caffeine to enter the bloodstream.

Please drive safe this holiday season! Your life may depend on it!