The Takeaway
•Drowsy driving causes 1 million crashes, 500,000 injuries, and 8,000 deaths each year in the U.S.
•Just one sleepless night can impair performance as much as a blood-alcohol level of 0.10 percent, beyond the legal limit to drive.
•Like alcohol, sleep deprivation also affects judgment, making it harder to assess how impaired you are when you’re tired.
If you’re depriving yourself of sleep and you’re a police officer, doctor, nurse, or pilot, then there’s a very good chance that in the line of duty you may be exposing other folks to risk as well.
Dr. Christopher P. Landrigan