All-night graduation parties may lead to drowsy driving accidents


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SOUTH JORDAN — It's high school graduation season, and after the pomp and circumstance fades, high school grads head out to all-night parties. Even without alcohol involved, drowsy driving can be deadly.

“All the graduation parties last clear until the morning,” said prospective graduate Morgan DeGooyer.

Teens in South Jordan say their graduation party is slated to last until 4 a.m.

“People are going to do whatever they feel like doing,” said Meagan Johnson, another graduating senior. That includes “Partying as hard as they want all through the night.”

Both DeGooyer and Johnson say they are likely unfit to drive after so much late-night excitement.

“You’re exhausted. You’ve been partying for so many hours,” Johnson said. “Especially if you have friends in the car when you’re driving home, you’re not as focused as you should be. It’s not a great combination.”

Drivers aged 15 to 24 years have the highest rates of accidents related to drowsy driving. Utah teen drivers are nearly twice as likely to be in a crash than drivers over 20 years old.

“Drowsy driving can be just as dangerous as impaired driving,” said UDOT spokesman John Gleason. “It’s so important that the first moment that you notice anything, you pull over and get some rest.”

Chances you're at risk of drowsy driving
  • Sleep deprived or fatigued (six hours of sleep or less triples your risk)
  • Driving longer than 100 miles or two hours without proper rest breaks
  • Driving alone — having a companion can help you stay alert
  • Driving on a long, rural or dark road
  • Driving through the night, mid-afternoon or when you would normally be asleep
  • Taking sedating medications (e.g., antidepressants, cold tablets, antihistamines)
  • Working more than 60 hours a week (increases your risk by 40 percent)
  • Suffering from insomnia or poor quality sleep
  • Drinking even small amounts of alcohol

Young drivers admit they don’t get enough sleep, even when not attending all-night celebrations.

“You just have to try and manage your time,” Johnson. “If you’re up until 2 a.m. doing homework, you’re [doing it] because your grades are more important than sleep.”

“We’re more busy, I think, than people were in the past. So we forfeit sleep,” said DeGooyer.

After the graduation party, DeGooyer and Johnson said they’ll plan ahead and have a parent pick them up.

Drowsy driving can creep up on all of us. Remember: At the first sign that you’re fading, pull off of the road.

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UtahEducationFamily
Jed Boal

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