Sheriffs department urges motorists to avoid drowsy driving

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- Driving drowsy behind the wheel can be just as dangerous as driving intoxicated, but it's often not as cautioned.

According to the U.S. Department of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), “after 17 consecutive hours awake, impairment is estimated to be equivalent to having a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .05."

Earlier Wednesday morning, a tractor-trailer crash occurred on the I-29 interstate. 

"Appears to have went to sleep. The wheel drifted. Hit the guardrail. Came across the roadway, hit the other guardrail, and came back to rest in the roadway," Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett said.

Luckily, no injuries were reported, but according to the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department, the cause of the crash was due to the driver being asleep.

“Driving sleepier, drowsy actually mimics impaired driving. So their reaction time is delayed. All of those things are just as dangerous as being intoxicated or impaired,” Buchanan County Captain Michael Hess said.

The sheriff's department recommends the best thing to do is to get a good night's sleep or to pull over if the drowsy feeling is overwhelming.

Other solutions, compared to drowsy driving, can be to drive with a friend, have caffeine in moderation and plan ahead.