No, this doesn’t mean that you’re driving an old hand-me-down car while your friend’s driving a new convertible... It’s about being behind the wheel when you tired! In other words, driving sleep deprived!

Researchers at Stanford University recently did a study with a group of sleep apnea patients (who they knew were sleep deprived), and compared their reaction times in a simulated driving environment to a group of “normal” people, who they knew were well-rested. To make the contest fairer, though, they added a condition. Before they tested the “normal” group, they gave them enough liquor to make them legally drunk in most states—a 0.08% blood alcohol level!

How did the tired group do in the driving test compared to the drunks? Believe it or not, they lost! The people who were sleepy actually had slower reaction times than the people who were legally drunk!

Next time you sit behind the wheel, ask yourself if you’re sufficently rested to be driving. When you’re tired, you’re as dangerous (or worse) as a legally drunk driver!