VACATIONERS SHOULD REST UP BEFORE HITTING THE ROAD.

Byline: Lynn Bulmahn Cox News Service

You're loading the car for your vacation trip. You've packed the suitcases, maps, sunglasses, cooler, snacks, favorite tapes, the kids' stuff, tools, sporting goods items, suntan lotion, first-aid kit, camping gear and extra blankets and pillows - things you absolutely can't do without.

There's one more thing you shouldn't forget.

Getting enough sleep.

Too many times, vacationing motorists are so eager to get to where they're going they don't allow adequate time for sleep. They end up going too many miles without enough rest and risk dozing off at the wheel.

``Most people are stubborn. They want to get an extra mile in when they're getting tired driving,'' said Robert Gieski of Hillcrest's Center for Sleep Disorders in Waco, Texas. ``I know of an accident where a driver who'd fallen asleep killed four people.''

When you're driving, being asleep for even a few seconds is dangerous. You - or someone else - could get killed.

The American Automobile Association's Foundation for Traffic Safety says that if you are drowsy, you can fall asleep and not even know it. And if you wake up, you probably can't tell how long you've snoozed.

AAA is urging drivers to take safety precautions and make sure they've had adequate sleep before driving.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates some 50,000 motor vehicle crashes are caused each year by sleepy drivers. The National Transportation Safety Board says sleepy drivers probably cause some 57 percent of all fatal accidents.

``It's a matter of people pushing themselves, trying to get in that extra mile,' Gieski said. ``If you're tired enough, your eyelids are going to drop.''

He said drivers always need to be aware of the possibility that drivers near them are nodding off.

Some may have sleep disorders. Experts count 30 million insomniacs, 20 million sleep apnea patients and a quarter million narcolepsy patients in the American population, Gieski said. Many of them drive.

However, even the healthiest among us can nod off.

``Usually, you're asleep before you even realize it,'' Gieski said.

How dangerous is a sleepy driver? He's about as bad a driver as someone who's driving drunk, according to state troopers surveyed in a national poll by AAA.

All of the officers surveyed said they have stopped a motorist on suspicion of drunk driving who turned out to be sober but dangerously sleepy. Half of those surveyed said they'd ticketed drowsy drivers for such offenses as reckless driving and driver inattention.

Seventy-six percent of the officers said drowsy driving is an important highway safety problem. And 83 percent said they agreed with the statement that ``a driver who falls asleep at the wheel is just as dangerous as one who is driving drunk.''

Some 78 percent of the troopers polled said they thought that drowsy driving is an equal problem for truck drivers and motorists alike.

Some times of the day or night are especially risky for dozing off. Almost everyone tends to feel sluggish and drowsy in midafternoon, AAA says. It said many fatigue-related car crashes occur between 1 and 4 p.m.

Nighttime is also risky. Sleep becomes irresistible late at night, AAA says. It recommends motorists not drive between 2 and 6 a.m.

However, any time you are prone to get sleepy, you shouldn't be driving. Tell time by your own biological clock. If you are drowsy early in the morning or late in the evening, stay off the road at that time.

How do you tell whether you're too sleepy to drive? AAA lists some danger signs:

Your eyes close or go out of focus by themselves.

You have trouble keeping your head up.

You can't stop yawning.

You have wandering, distracting thoughts.

You don't remember the last few miles.

You drift between lanes, tailgate or miss traffic signs.

You keep jerking the car back into the lane.

You have drifted off the road and narrowly missed crashing.

Even one of these symptoms means you're in danger of falling asleep at the wheel. You need to pull off the road and take a nap in a safe, well-lighted area.

As with many health problems, an ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure. Gieski has some suggestions how to prevent snoozing at the wheel.

``For most of us, it's simple,'' he said. ``Get a proper night's sleep. Go to bed at the normal time, earlier if you can.''

If you're traveling with another adult, switch off the driving. And keep each other awake. Don't let the other front seat passenger doze while you drive. It could be catching.