Does Daylight Savings Make Drowsy Drivers?

TRI-CITIES, Wash.- Did you wake up a little tired after losing an hour of sleep from daylight savings?

Make sure you adjust your schedule to avoid drowsy driving. New research from Healthline.com shows that fatal crashes increase by 6% the week after daylight savings time.

Washington State Trooper Chris Thorsen suggests, "If you find yourself driving and you're getting tired, we suggest pulling off to a safe location, maybe an off ramp or a rest area. That way you can take a quick nap or do whatever you need to do, get up, walk around or get a cup of coffee. Just keep in mind, driving drowsy is very dangerous and people die across Washington state every year because of it."

Thorsen adds that statistics show drowsy driving to be just as dangerous as drowsy driving, because of the slow reaction time and inattention.