Citation

Pack AI, Pack AM, Rodgman EA, Cucchiara A, Dinges DF, Schwab CW. Annu. Proc. Assoc. Adv. Automot. Med. 1994; 38: 395-405.

Affiliation

Center for Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, and Division of Trauma Services, University of Pennsylvania; Highway Safety Research Center, University of North Carolina, USA

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Even in non-sleep-deprived persons, sleepiness occurs at two particular periods of the day, i.e., during the night at the time of normal sleep and in the early afternoon, at the time of the siesta in certain cultures. This can be shown by measuring the physiological tendency to sleep as the latency to sleep in brief naps (Richardson, et al, 1982). Increases in sleepiness can result from sleep deprivation (inadequate sleep) or from sleep disorders such as narcolepsy and obstructive sleep apnea. Subjects who are excessively sleepy, from whatever cause, have performance lapses and slowed reaction times and an accelerated loss of attentional vigilance (Dinges, 1992). They, moreover will exhibit the phenomenon of "microsleeps," i.e., sleepy subjects may fall asleep in an unpredictable fashion and be temporarily unaware of their surroundings. These behavioral changes that occur in sleepy individuals can have important consequences. The consequences will depend on the environment that the subject is in. Perhaps the most dangerous situation is while driving. Crashes occur in individuals who fall asleep at the wheel. Such crashes can be serious with resulting fatalities (Parsons, 1986). That this occurs has been known for some time (for review of earlier work in this area, see Shinar, 1978). The goal of the study described in this report was to investigate, in detail, the characteristics of accidents attributed on the police report to the driver having fallen asleep. The study was a retrospective analysis of data from the state of North Carolina. We analyzed data for the years 1990 to 1992, inclusive. The data are maintained in the data base at the Highway Safety Research Center (HSRC), University of North Carolina.

Language: en