Sleep and sleep-related illness are becoming the biggest cause of road accidents in Uttarakhand. Not only long-distance vehicles but also small vehicles are crashing on daily travel on the internal routes of the city due to sleep-related problems. This has been confirmed in the research of the doctors of the Sleep Division of the Department of Psychiatry of AIIMS.
The research has been published in the Curious Medical Journal of America. Often, intoxication is considered to be the main cause of road accidents in Uttarakhand, so the administration runs campaigns against intoxication from time to time. Under the campaign, drivers are also tested with an alcohol meter. But a research by the doctors of the Psychiatry Department of AIIMS has made it clear that sleep and sleep-related problems are becoming a major cause of road accidents in Uttarakhand.
The doctors conducted research on about 1200 people from October 2021 to April 2022. All these people were injured in vehicle accidents in various areas, who were admitted to AIIMS for treatment. Out of these, 575 injured were drivers. 75% of these drivers were two-wheeler and three-wheeler drivers. Research Director Prof. Ravi Gupta and Dr. Vishal Dhiman said that 21% of the accidents happened due to sleepiness or sleep-related problems while driving.
On the other hand, sleepiness due to fatigue caused by excessive work was also the cause of 26% of the accidents. Intoxication was the cause of 32% of the accidents, but most of these drivers were also those who were also suffering from sleep or sleep-related problems and this problem increased further due to intoxication and caused accidents. The research made it clear that about 68% of the accidents caused due to sleep problems happened on straight, flat and everyday used roads. Most of the accidents happened between 6 pm and 12 pm. Because some people also consume alcohol in the evening and in such a situation, the problem related to sleep increases further.
