Drowsy Driver Awareness Day 2018

Press Release: New Zealand Sleep Safety Ltd

This year’s Drowsy Driver Awareness Day is about making drivers aware of the dangers of ‘micro-sleeping’ when travelling to or from their holiday destination.

A ‘micro-sleep’ is a brief 3-10 second sleep episode that can occur when you are driving, as a result of sleep deprivation. This can occur as a result of poor quality sleep or lack of sleep over one or a number of nights. Your eyes do not have to be shut for your mind to be asleep. Unfortunately, in a 3 second micro-sleep your vehicle travels 83 metres, when travelling at 100 km/hr. Almost the length of a football field! Yet the centreline is only metres away.

Micro-sleeping is responsible for many of the head-on crashes in New Zealand.

Drowsy driving has the reputation as the ‘silent killer’ on the roads.

Drowsy driving crashes are underreported in New Zealand, but road safety experts agree that drowsy driving is a factor in over 20% of crashes.

Furthermore, the more sleep deprived you are, the more inattentive you become.

Don’t drive when you are sleep deprived. Remember that a 15 minute power nap can save your life. Plan for a good night’s sleep before you drive home.

The AKILLA drowsy driving educational campaign was set up to educate New Zealanders about the dangers of drowsy driving on the roads. The campaign was officially launched on May 31st 2005. Please visit www.akilla.co.nz for more educational information.

The New Zealand Drowsy Driving Awareness Day was acknowledged by Government Transport Ministers in road safety policy speeches at Parliament on the 13th December 2006.

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