Motorists warned to stay awake

By James Restivo

Daily Staff Reporter

As students quickly finish midterms, term papers and holiday preparations, sleep deprivation threatens to ruin the weekend for holiday travelers.

Last Thanksgiving weekend, 22 people died in 20 fatal crashes in Michigan, AAA Michigan spokesman Jim Rink said. One factor in holiday accidents is drivers not receiving enough sleep for extensive travel.

"Among college students, due to all-night studying and partying, students have an increased propensity for falling asleep at the wheel," said Alon Avidan, a physician and assistant clinical professor who works in the University Health System's sleep lab. Avidan said that aside from drunken drivers, falling asleep at the wheel is the biggest concern facing motorists this Thanksgiving.

"The concern is that with more people on the road, drowsiness doesn't turn into tragedy," UHS spokeswoman Valerie Gliem said. Due to the large volumes of travelers expected this weekend, students are advised to be cautious and aware of their sleep habits.

"If a person begins to feel drowsy, they should pull to the side of the road, and by no means continue," Avidan said.

Some drivers rely on stimulation such as the radio or air conditioning, which Avidan said he doesn't advise because "they aren't very effective." He recommends drivers get sufficient sleep the night before a long trip and if possible bring a passenger.

In addition to sleep deprivation, a problem this holiday season may be the excessive amount of traffic on the roads. Nearly 73 percent of holiday travel takes place on the road, Rink said, with the busiest time occurring tonight and Sunday evening.

"The best advice I can give is to avoid peak travel times," Rink said. "Travelers should leave earlier in the day as opposed to rush hour, and if possible wait until Thursday when the roads aren't as busy."

Another issue facing students traveling by car in Michigan is the weather. A severe weather warning is in effect for the western part of the state.

As much as two feet of snow has fallen during the past few days in areas near Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids as well as in northern Michigan.

For students who are flying, Rink said Detroit Metropolitan Airport is currently serving 105,000 passengers per day, compared to its normal number of 80,000. Northwest Airlines spokeswoman Mary Beth Schubert said despite the amount of travelers, the airline has not been overbooked and the most important factor is arriving on time.

"We encourage people to arrive early - 90 minutes for domestic flights and two hours for international," Schubert said. If passengers aren't in their seat 10 minutes prior to takeoff, they can lose their reservation. Once at the airport, passengers are advised to have their luggage labeled on the outside and the inside and to utilize the various check-in options.

"You can either do it face-to-face, or electronically with electronic service devises," Schubert said. Northwest has installed more than 240 electronic kiosks in airports nationwide enabling passengers to check in and print luggage tags before handing their bags to an agent.

Schubert said students are advised to check online before they leave for the airport to find out the most current status of their flight.