DENVER--We know booze can impact your skills on the street, now new research in the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety report shows a lack of sleep can be just as dangerous.
“People that are sleep deprived drive a lot like a drunk driver. The same reactions, the same weaving, they look the same behind the wheel," said Wave Dreher, AAA Colorado spokeswoman.
What's intriguing is the risk:
Six to seven hours of sleep: 1.3 times the crash risk
Five to six hours of sleep: 1.9 times the crash risk
Four to five hours of sleep: 4.3 times the crash risk
Less than four hours of sleep: 11.5 times the crash risk
"So it's not just the people that have pulled an all-nighter that are at risk for having a crash. It's people that have just gotten an hour less sleep than they're used to getting," said Dreher. "The crash data that Triple A looked at were crashes that sent somebody that was involved in the crash to the emergency room."
97% of drivers said they know the danger.
"I've definitely had moments where I've closed my eyes for a second and thought nope that's not a good idea," said driver Emily Lewis
Lewis is planning a drive from Colorado to Kansas.
"There's usually a spot where I get sleepy, little bit, and that's usually about the time I pull off and get lunch or get gas," she said.
