Face it, America is one seriously sleep deprived nation. With many people reporting getting less than the recommended eight hours a night on a regular basis, there is no denying that a lot of sleepy people are out there each and every day. If you are one of them and you need to get behind the wheel, beware. Drowsy driving can prove to be a killer.

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, the numbers are staggering. At least 100,000 crashes a year are attributed to drowsy driving. That adds up to about 71,000 injuries and more than 1,500 deaths each year.
So, what can you do to prevent drowsy driving?

While it might not always be possible to pull off a full eight in bed, these things can help:

Create a wakeup routine – Make sure you spend a few minutes each morning waking up entirely before trying to get behind the wheel. Get up, take a shower, exercise, eat breakfast – just do something that raises your alertness level.

Rest your eyes before driving – At the end of the work day, take a few minutes to rest your eyes and then move around to energize yourself and increase your alertness.

Pull over when you have to – Trying to make it that extra 20 miles when you simply cannot keep your eyes open is just not smart. Pull over in a populated place and either cat nap for a few minutes or get out of the car and move around.

Drowsy driving is worth avoiding. Accidents and deaths can happen if motorists do not drive with both eyes open.