Don't fall asleep behind the wheel

Distracted driving may get all of the headlines, but driving when you're not fully alert is just as dangerous. This is one of many simply reminders found in materials for Drive Safely Work Week put forth by the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS).  NAFA Fleet Management Association is proud to help promote the annual safety campaign, which takes place this year October 1-5, 2012.

The statistics are scary: In a recent national survey, 30 percent of employed U.S. adults (approximately 40.6 million workers) reported average sleep duration of less than 6 hours per day. Particularly at risk of not getting enough sleep are those that work more than 40 hours per week and shift workers. In a 2011 survey, nearly one-third of drivers admitted to driving when they were so tired that they had difficulty keeping their eyes open in the past month. If you have been awake for more than 20 hours, you could be just as impaired as if you had a blood alcohol content of .08— the legal threshold of DUI across the U.S. And there is a high probability that even if you are not driving drowsy, you are sharing the road with someone who is. According to data on this subject, an estimated 17 percent of fatal vehicle crashes are linked to drowsy driving.

Safe driving is essential to the fleet managers who belong to NAFA, a group that collectively manages millions of vehicles that travel on North American roads each day. NAFA has lent its support to the annual Drive Safely Work Week campaign for the past several years through a series of articles in the Association's print and online publications, press releases, and email blasts to the Membership.

Drive Safely Work Week, which has been sponsored by the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) since 1996, encourages businesses to utilize a free campaign toolkit to help educate employees on how to prevent fatigued driving. The toolkit features facts on driving drowsy, interactive quizzes and tools, daily activities and communication messages, and downloadable posters for the office. Along with a focus on fatigued driving, NETS Drive Safely Work Week also looks at the importance of buckling your seat belt; staying distraction-free while driving; and parking safely, with awareness to your surroundings. The campaign materials are not dated and can be used throughout the year for continued promotion of safe driving practices. 

The campaign toolkit may be downloaded for free at www.trafficsafety.org.