Drowsy Driving Death Rate Doubles... "If Sleepy, Take a Break"

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] As the Chuseok holiday begins, caution is required due to drowsy driving on the way home.

According to the National Police Agency, an analysis of traffic accidents during the Chuseok holiday over five years from 2015 to last year showed that the average number of traffic accidents on the day before the holiday was 825, with 1,200 casualties (15.6 deaths and 1,184.4 injuries), making it the highest during the holiday period.

During the Chuseok holiday, the daily average number of traffic accidents over five years was 481, with 865 casualties (9 deaths and 856 injuries). This is 14.7% fewer accidents and 6.5% fewer casualties compared to the five-year weekend daily average of 564 accidents and 925.5 casualties (10.6 deaths and 914.9 injuries). When looking at the causes of traffic accidents during the Chuseok holiday, there were 56 drunk driving accidents with 109 casualties, and 6 drowsy driving accidents with 13 casualties.

During the holiday, long-distance travel and traffic congestion cause driver fatigue, making drowsy driving more likely. If an accident occurs due to drowsy driving, the driver and passengers are more vulnerable to serious injury because they are hit in an unprepared state. In fact, the fatality rate for traffic accidents caused by drowsy driving is 6.2 deaths per 100 accidents, which is more than twice the overall traffic accident fatality rate.

Additionally, failure to fulfill safety obligations, crossing the center line, running red lights, and failing to maintain a safe distance mainly occur due to drowsy driving. The proportion of center line crossing accidents among drowsy driving accidents is three times higher than that of center line crossing accidents among all traffic accidents.

The most important way to prevent drowsy driving is managing the driver’s condition. It is difficult to avoid drowsy driving on holiday highways where stop-and-go traffic is frequent if driving while fatigued. To maintain optimal condition, sufficient sleep and proper nutrition must come first, and warming up the body with appropriate exercise or stretching beforehand also helps. Changing drivers is also a good method.