20% of drivers "nod off" at the wheel: TIRF

One in five drivers admits they have fallen asleep at the wheel at least once in the past 12 months, according to a "road safety monitor" study by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF).In total 4.1 million Canadians admit to nodding off while driving, and yet, only 57% of respondents see driving tired as a serious road safety problem. The results are extrapolated from 1,200 interviews with drivers.Interestingly, 44% of respondents say they nodded off after driving only an hour, while 35% fell asleep at the wheel in the afternoon."These findings challenge commonly held perceptions that drowsy driving is more common after long periods of time at the wheel and that it almost always happens late at night," says Dr. Doug Beirness, vice president of research for the TIRF.The most common factors leading to nodding off while driving were lack of sleep at night or poor quality of sleep. And male drivers were more likely to fall asleep than female, while the percentage of incidents was much higher amongst younger drivers, aged 20-24.Among the strategies employed to combat tired driving were pulling over for a break, opening a window, drinking coffee, turning the radio up louder or changing drivers.