Drowsiness: risk factor

1995/06/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Garraioak

Although many of us do not believe it like this, the main cause of traffic accidents is the dream. A group of English researchers reached this conclusion after analyzing data on traffic accidents that occurred between 1987 and 1994. According to the study, 16% of the claims that occurred in England in that period were produced by sleep.

On the other hand, the trend is greater if one takes into account the accidents that occurred on the motorway, since 20% of the accidents were due to the arrest of the driver. According to the researchers, this trend change is due to the characteristics of the motorways themselves, since the speed is higher and the driving itself is more monotonous.

Another interesting data from the study refers to the relationship between sleep and age. Young drivers enter the hours of risk in the early morning, since most of the accidents occur around 2 and 6 in the morning. Among the more mature drivers, however, the tendency to the table predominates, that is, the hours of nap are the most dangerous among adults.

Although it must be recognized that speed is the cause of many accidents, those affected by sleep have so far been undervalued. Although the factors that increase sleep are many, researchers have stressed the comfort of cars. The ergonomic models have converted the current cars into wheelbeds.