Simulation demonstrates dangers of drowsy driving


4 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — The Department of Public Safety teamed up with UDOT to simulate how dangerous drowsy driving can be during a staged demonstration Wednesday evening.

Lindsey Tait, 17, is a resident of Draper that tried the simulation.

"I'm really tired," she said as she tried not to knock over cones in a driving course. "Being up for 30 hours kind of wears you out."

Each year, nearly 20 motorists die on Utah roads because they drive drowsy. To demonstrate the dangers caused by sleep-deprived motorists, the Utah Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Safety set up a demonstration course for real drowsy drivers.

A businessman, a new mom and Lindsey, a teen driver, all stayed up last night. After more than 30 hours with no sleep, they got behind the wheel on a driving course.

"I'm freaking out more on the inside than the outside," Lindsey said as she tried to process driving instructions from Sergeant Matt Smith.

Lindsey got her license a year ago, and her parents say she's a good, cautious driver, and they trust her behind the wheel. However, she said she had never driven really tired before.

"And we just ran over a couple of kids," Sgt. Smith said as Lindsey tried to back into a narrow space, coned off to simulate a garage.

In the simulation, if a cone was hit, it represented people that were hurt or property that was damaged.

Warning signs of drowsiness:
  • Difficulty focusing, frequent blinking, or heavy eyelids
  • Daydreaming; wandering/disconnected thoughts
  • Trouble remembering the last few miles driven; missing exits or traffic signs
  • Yawning repeatedly or rubbing your eyes
  • Trouble keeping your head up
  • Drifting from your lane, tailgating, or hitting a shoulder rumble strip
  • Feeling restless and irritable

Sgt. Smith said that a common side affect of having sleep deprivation is mental and muscle fatigue.

Lindsey said that driving drowsy was tougher than she expected. Each of the drivers performed worse than they expected.

Smith said that is part of the reason that drowsy driving is so dangerous. Most people think they can still drive effectively when they are tired, and the demonstration proved that logic is incorrect. This demonstration is proving that theory incorrect.

"It's getting to the point where it's hard to keep my eyes open even," Lindsey said as she continued through the course. "My mind was all over the place, and it was hard to concentrate."

Nate Davis of Sandy stayed up all night to drive the same course. He said his sleep deprivation made everything seem as though it was in slow motion.

"I felt like I had to think things twice before I could make a decision on where I needed to go," he said. "I definitely feel less responsive."


Driving is difficult. It takes a lot of focus and mental ability, and unfortunately when people are so tired, it goes right along the lines of impaired drivers.

–Sergeant Matt Smith


Smith pointed out that the drivers were not going to nod off on the simulation course, like they might on I-15 if they've been up all night. However, the course exposed how fuzzy their thinking and judgement is after not having any sleep.

"Driving is difficult," Smith said. "It takes a lot of focus and mental ability, and unfortunately when people are so tired, it goes right along the lines of impaired drivers."

Utah averages more than 1,000 crashes and 18 deaths each year from drowsy driving. Drivers 25 or under were involved in nearly 43 percent of all drowsy driving crashes, and male drivers were 2.8 times more likely to be in the accidents.

"It really affects the ability to check all angles, to know where you're going on the road, to know your spacial awareness," Smith says. "To know where you're at."

The number of drowsy driving crashes is actually under-reported, because it is a cause difficult to prove especially with solo drivers.

Lindsey said she learned a powerful lesson that she'll share with her peers.

"I'll just be more cautious about it," she said. "It's an eye opening experience."

Photos

Related links

Related stories

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah
Jed Boal

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast