FROM THE SHERIFF’S DESK, VOL 7 NR. 12
By Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp
Your eyes start to feel heavy and your eyelids begin to droop. Soon, your head starts to nod. You’re on your way home and behind the wheel. You blink hard and try to focus on the road but realize you’ve crossed over into oncoming traffic. Quickly you regain control of the wheel and get straightened back in your lane. You’re lucky this time, but next time could be different. You fell victim to drowsy driving. People think about the dangers of drinking and driving every day, but drowsy driving-which is just as dangerous and fatal, isn’t at the top of many minds. Just like alcohol, sleepiness slows your reaction time, impairs judgement and increases the risk for crashing while driving.
According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), drowsy driving causes more than 6,400 U.S. deaths annually. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety notes drowsy driving involves about 1 in 6 deadly crashes, 1 in 8 crashes resulting in hospitalization, and 1 in 14 accidents where a vehicle was towed. These statistics show the lack of awareness and education on this topic. Especially around the holiday season, when the roads become busy, it’s time to bring alarm and raise concern about drowsy driving.
In a poll by the NSF, 97% of people see drowsy driving as a threat to safety on the roads. As a driver, it’s important to understand that prolonged periods of being awake, long days at work or school, etc. make it unsafe to be on the road.
It can be hard to tell when you’re too tired to drive. Here are some signs:
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Frequent blinking, heavy eyelids
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Trouble remembering the last few miles driven
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Missing exits or traffic signs
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Rubbing your eyes
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Drifting from your lane
If you’re driving to visit friends and loved ones this holiday season, be sure to make sure you’re getting enough sleep (7-8 hours) before driving. Also, try these helpful tips to make the drive safe:
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Listen to music or a podcast: this will help keep your brain moving and alert
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Eat energy foods: fruits, nuts or dark chocolate are good alternatives to caffeine and these super foods are rich in vitamins
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Stay hydrated: dehydration is prone to cause irritability, which will affect your concentration and overall alertness
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Stretch: keep your blood pumping to regenerate and stay awake
If you have any questions about drowsy driving or how to stay safe on the long-road trips during the holiday, contact your local law enforcement.
From my family and everyone at the Sheriff’s Office, we would like to wish everyone a Safe and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Sources:
Drowsydriving.org
Sleepfoundation.org
????Department Activity for the last 5 months:
|
July
|
Aug.
|
Sept.
|
Oct.
|
Nov.
|
Warrants
|
23
|
10
|
11
|
14
|
15
|
Citations
|
89
|
89
|
136
|
73
|
150
|
Crashes
|
30
|
44
|
22
|
32
|
32
|
DUI’S
|
2
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
Civil Process
|
91
|
111
|
91
|
102
|
85
|
Criminal Arrests
|
4
|
5
|
5
|
6
|
5
|
Domestic Calls
|
12
|
11
|
13
|
11
|
12
|
Calls For Service
|
500
|
531
|
508
|
449
|
427
|
Correctional Center
Prisoners Processed
|
89
|
89
|
87
|
79
|
71
|
Average Daily Population
|
59
|
57
|
54
|
59
|
61
|
Fingerprints
|
21
|
11
|
21
|
24
|
15
|
Transports
|
29
|
15
|
19
|
16
|
11
|
Transport Mileage
|
2198
|
3522
|
2124
|
2414
|
1276
|
Transport Hours
|
140
|
162
|
113
|
103
|
73
|