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TOOELE — Sleeping when you're tired. It sounds simple. But tired drivers keep crashing, and one group says it's time to admit how big of a problem it is.
No Drowsy Driving gave out free coffee, donuts, and cookies at a rest stop along I-80 Saturday afternoon. They hope to remind people that driving tired can lead to fatal accidents. In the last five years, 115 people have died as a result of drowsy driving.
"In Driver's Ed, they teach you don't drink and drive, you don't text and drive, but there is nothing said about don't drive drowsy," said Kim Carroll, of NODD.
They know the snacks aren't the best way to fight fatigue, but hopefully it will be enough to remind them not to drive when they're tired.
Lorri Henseler decided to take on the issue and founded the group after her son, Ronnie Lynn Thompson, was killed 14 years ago by a drowsy driver.
- Of those crashes, 1,500 deaths occur
- Alongside 71,000 injuries
- Incur $12.5 billion in monetary loss
NODD
"People are finally listening," Henseler said. "Maybe someone else won't have to go through what I had to go through when my son was killed."
Henseler, has dedicated her life to make others aware of how dangerous drowsy driving is.
