DROWSY DRIVERS A GROWING PROBLEM.

Byline: Steve Carney Staff Writer

A West Hills cinematographer works a 19-hour day and dies in a crash driving home, prompting calls for rules curbing shift lengths.

A Lancaster sheriff's deputy, who loses a kidney after flipping his pickup truck, shows no one is immune to the potentially deadly effects of drowsy driving.

A study released last week by the Highway Safety Research Center at the University of North Carolina found that night-shift workers, people who work two jobs and those who simply don't get enough shut-eye are at a far higher risk of sleep- or fatigue-related crashes, which cause 1,500 deaths annually.

``People, young people especially, say, I'll sleep when I'm dead. That could literally be true if you drive around like that very often,'' said Stephanie Faul, spokeswoman for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, which funded the study.

Drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes every year, and 3 to 4 percent of all highway fatalities, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And the problem of drivers who are simply tired is even greater.

``We know there are many, many more crashes caused by drowsiness and fatigue,'' said North Carolina researcher Jane Stutts, because many states don't keep track of those factors, even if they record whether drivers actually fell asleep.

The problem is so far-reaching, in part, because many people don't think there's a problem.

``There are some widespread misconceptions about sleep,'' Faul said. ``People don't recognize it for what it is, a basic biological need. It's like food. It's like air.''

Researchers said 57 percent of Americans have reported driving while drowsy in the past year, and 25 percent said they've fallen asleep at the wheel at some point.

``From talking with these drivers, a lot of them didn't realize how sleepy they are, and a lot of them think that they can handle the situation, that they can keep themselves awake,'' Stutts said.

Guess again, Faul said.

``Falling asleep is not voluntary,'' she said. ``If your body is tired enough, it can throw the switch.''

Brent Hershman, a West Hills cinematographer, died in March 1997 when he crashed on the 105 Freeway after a 19-hour workday. Hershman, a 35-year-old father of two, was leaving the Long Beach set of ``Pleasantville'' and opted to head home at about 1:30 a.m. instead of staying in a hotel.

His death spurred a movement among film and TV industry unions to limit workdays to 14 hours, a proposal known as Brent's Rule. But with long workdays a part of the entertainment industry's culture, and industrywide concerns about runaway production costs taking the forefront, talks on the issue have stalled.

Deputy Paul Tallant of the Lancaster sheriff's station had just finished a double shift when he was driving home in his pickup truck on Aug. 3, 1998. The seven-year veteran fell asleep at the wheel and drifted onto the dirt shoulder of Bouquet Canyon Road, flipping the truck several times, investigators said.

He has been on leave since the crash, recovering from a broken back and internal injuries sustained when he was thrown from the truck. Sheriff's officials said they expect him to eventually be able to return to work.

And the California Highway Patrol concluded driver fatigue helped cause a March 1998 crash that killed one person, injured seven others and closed the Hollywood Freeway for nearly 12 hours.

Investigators said the driver of a city-owned truck fell asleep at the wheel while heading south through the Cahuenga Pass and crashed through the center divider. The truck sailed over a car and landed on a sport utility vehicle on the northbound side of the freeway. The truck driver denied falling asleep. He was charged with a misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter.

``When you're sleepy, your ability to react to something in front of you becomes less,'' said Dr. Bradley Vaughn, director of the University of North Carolina's Neurology Sleep Center. ``You may be surprised that the car in front of you has suddenly stopped. You may actually start to see things that aren't there.''

The Highway Safety Research Center study surveyed 1,403 North Carolina drivers.

Of those who said they were fatigued when they crashed, 24 percent said they work night shifts and 36 percent said they sleep less than six hours a day. Of the drivers in crashes who said they were in control, and weren't tired or sleepy, the figures were 4 and 11 percent.

``For some individuals, the night shift really causes them to have a significant sleep deprivation. They're not sleeping well during the day,'' Vaughn said.

Among drivers who admitted falling asleep and crashing, 27 percent said they work 60 or more hours a week and 20 percent said they work two or more jobs. Among controlled-crash drivers, the numbers were 8 and 7 percent.

``Many of these are good people trying to meet their needs,' Vaughn said. ``There's an increase in sleep-related accidents, and it may be an indication that we're burning the candle at both ends as a society.''

Vaughn said getting plenty of sleep the night before a trip is essential, and getting enough sleep every night will keep people from being chronically tired. There's no ideal number of hours, he said, but, ``If you're not getting sleepy during the day, and you wake up before your alarm in the morning, you're probably getting enough.''

A common misconception is that people can do things to counteract their tiredness open a window, turn up the radio, chew gum, sing. But a recent study in England showed such activities make drivers feel more alert, but don't improve their performance at all, Faul said.

Caffeine and a 15- to 20-minute catnap can be a short-term remedy, the researchers said. There's no substitute for a good night's sleep, however.

``Half the people in the study did not feel particularly sleepy before they crashed,'' Faul said.

And Stutts added, ``There may not be a lot of warning. It's better to try to prevent that drowsy driving situation rather than remedy it when you're in it.''