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Respironics Lead Sponsor of NSF's Drowsy Driving Prevention Week
Last week, the National Sleep Foundation kicked off its first Drowsy Driving Week (Nov. 5-11) to raise awareness of the dangers of drowsy driving and advocate for preventative measures at the state level. Respironics joined the program as lead sponsor.
"The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that nearly 100,000 police-reported crashes are the direct result of driver fatigue each year, resulting in over 1,500 deaths and 71,000 injuries," said Respironics President and CEO John Miclot in a news release. "Because of these disturbing statistics and the fact that car crashes are the number one killer of teens in the United States, we are fully committed to supporting the NSF’s efforts to increase awareness of this alarming issue."
Drowsy Driving Prevention Week was launched with the goal of raising public awareness of the signs of sleepiness behind the wheel such as trouble focusing, frequent blinking, yawning, heavy eyelids, drifting from lane to lane and not remembering the last few miles driven.
According to NSF’s 2006 Sleep in America poll, only one in five adolescents (20 percent) gets an optimal amount of sleep during the week, and more than half (51 percent) report having driven drowsy in the past year. Other research shows that young people under the age of 25 are by far the largest at-risk group for these types of crashes.
“Their (Respironics') sponsorship demonstrates the commitment and passion that Respironics has to educating the public about the dangers of drowsy driving," said acting NSF CEO Darrel Drobnich. "Learning the warning signs and countermeasures will save lives."
