UHP Demonstrates Dangers of Tired Drivers

UHP Demonstrates Dangers of Tired Drivers


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Debbie Dujanovic reporting To prove just how dangerous exhausted drivers can be, the Utah Highway Patrol put on a demonstration.

They kept a driver awake for 36 hours, then took him to a test track.

This police video tells the story. Watch as the driver on I-15 hits the barricade. At first the officer thought the man was drunk. Turns out he wasn't. He was exhausted.

Now U-H-P is trying to send a message to all drivers.

Brent Wilhite, Utah Department of Transportation: “Bags under my eyes and my eyes weigh so much."

Brent Wilhite admits it, after 36--hours without sleep, he's ready for bed. But before he hits the pillow, he'll get behind the wheel and drive. Reaching speeds of 35-miles an hour He will try navigating orange cones on a police training course. The first time through he does well, by the 2nd..

"Uh,uh, oooh, you can see the jerkiness in his movements.”

And 4th time around his exhaustion is evident. In fact, officers watching say he's driving like he's drunk.

Sgt. Lee Perry, Utah Highway Patrol: "Drunk driving and tired driving is almost identical in nature." After he's done, Wilhite says he struggled.

Brent Wilhite, Utah Department of Transportation: "After driving the course over and over I know my muscles were fatigued I know each time I drove the course I got worse.

The instructor who sat beside him agrees it was a rough ride.

Gary Caldwell, Utah Highway Patrol: “On the inside it was scary, rocking back and forth, he was hitting the brake, hitting the gas, sliding the car.”

This drowsy driver demonstration comes just 6-months after Trooper Warren Nelson's submitted and idea to his boss.

Nelson normally patrols near Green River -- and says fatigued drivers cause a lot of accidents.

Warren Nelson, Utah Highway Patrol, "People fall asleep behind the wheel, we pick them up all the time."

So he suggested a campaign to keep drivers awake.

The Utah Department of Transportation will put up huge road signs warning fatigue and driving don't mix

Some of the signs will also tell drivers where they can exit the freeway and rest. Troopers say tired drivers cause 11-percent of all car accidents in Utah.

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