Arrive Alive

"Beware of the Risk Zone"

Have you ever become very tired while driving home from a weekend camping event? If so, you are part of the 51 percent of adult American drivers - a majority of whom admit they do not stop driving because they are fatigued.

Driving tired puts you in The Risk Zone - a state of mental and physical fatigue in which you are more likely to have an accident.

Below are key points to keep you "BSA Risk Ready," and you and the youth you are responsible for out of The Risk Zone :

• Designate several leaders as drivers; all should get a restful sleep the night before driving.
   
• Know your vehicle. (Sport utility vehicles have higher roll-over rates than any other vehicle, underscoring a situation in which people not wearing a seatbelt may be ejected.) Gear should be secured and loaded so the vehicle is properly balanced.
   
• Ask a passenger to warn you if you begin to enter The Risk Zone when driving.
   
• Schedule several rest breaks. Getting out of the vehicle and moving around helps you stay alert.
   
• Put sleeping into all your trip plans. Take 15-to-20 minute "power-naps" to re-energize your body. (Naps longer than 20 minutes tend to cause a person to be groggy.)
   
• Don't count on caffeine from soft drinks, energy drinks, or coffee to stay awake.
   
• See these web sites for more information on drowsy driving: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (www.nhtsa.gov); AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (www.aaafta.org); National Sleep Foundation (www.sleepfoundation.org); Resources for the Prevention of Drowsy Driving, a service of the National Sleep Foundation (www.drowsydriving.org); National Safety Council (www.nsc.org). Source: Scouting, May-June 2005

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