Want to keep your Texas teen safe on the road? Get them more SLEEP.

Drowsy driving is getting more and more of attention in Texas and the rest of the country.  Research continues to be done on the effects that sleep deprivation has on motor vehicle safety, especially when commercial drivers like bus drivers and truckers are concerned.

 

While many of us may know intuitively that driving while tired can be a little risky (who hasn’t felt the urge to nod off at the wheel after a long day of work or after a sleepless night), few people truly understand how dangerous fatigue can really be for Texas drivers and their passengers.

 

Drowsy driving is a very real and very serious problem

 

Recent research has shown that driving while tired is an especially bad idea for one age group: teenagers.  Researchers found that adolescent drivers were twice as likely to be involved in a crash if they felt tired while driving or if they reported having trouble sleeping.

 

What can younger drivers do when they feel tired?  Forget the standard advice.  According to researchers, the usual “quick fixes” like driving with the window open to get fresh air, drinking coffee, or turning on some upbeat music does not help.  The only cure for drowsy driving is sleep.  If teens feel tired, they should pull over and find a safe place to sleep, or get somebody else who is better rested and not impaired to drive.

 

Time for a priority shift – make good sleep important

 

Sleep problems – either not getting enough sleep or getting poor quality sleep – can cause difficulties for teens in school as well as making them dangerous on the road.  Parents and teenagers need to give sleep the respect it deserves, lest they find out the hard way how dangerous a tired teen can be on our Houston area roads and highways.

 

Don’t wait until it is too late.  Talk to your teenage driver about the dangers of drowsy driving and making sleep a priority.