The windows were open, the music was blaring, and the car was swerving across freeway lanes. It was 1:30 a.m. on a Saturday, and a senior was driving home from a friend’s house. “We were watching a movie, and I kept falling asleep. At about 11:30 p.m. or midnight, I decided to go home,” the senior said.

“I ended up changing lanes on the freeway—unintentionally. I just couldn’t stay awake.”

Drowsy driving kills. And now, the most at-risk group is driving drowsy: teenagers.

Fifty-one percent of teen drivers nationwide say they’ve driven drowsy during the past year. In fact, 15 percent of teen drivers nationwide report driving drowsy at least once a week.

This dangerous situation isn’t a “big-school” problem; Country Day has its share of drowsy teenage drivers.

In a poll, 28 percent of juniors and 78 percent of seniors said they have driven drowsy in the past year.

Forty-three percent attribute that to late nights driving back from extracurricular activities, including sports and drama, and early morning driving to band and zero period. Large amounts of homework were also cited.

Senior Omar Eltorai is one of these. Involved in journalism, Student Council, and various sports, Eltorai said, “I turn on the AC and turn the music up. I also open the windows to help me stay alert.”

Senior Anna Ellison has driven drowsy as well.

“I know it’s dangerous, but it’s necessary,” she said. Ellison, who participates in rowing, sees “a definite correlation” between her hectic schedule and drowsy driving; she said that two-thirds of school mornings, she drives while “significantly drowsy.”

Junior Tyler Trussell has a 23-mile home-to-school commute, of which 13 miles are on Interstate 80. Trussell said he has driven drowsy about four times since the start of the school year.

Other drowsy drivers are juniors Chase Lemos, Matthew Merksamer and Edek Sher.

None of our students have been injured because of drowsy driving. However, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it accounts for more than 56,000 collisions annually.

Why so much drowsy driving?

Today’s teens are busy. With band, sports, and other extracurricular activities added to a heavy homework load, teens accumulate a “sleep debt.” Teens should get, optimally, 9.5 hours of sleep per night.

According to a study published by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), teenagers nationwide fall asleep in school or during homework, and they miss school because they oversleep. (See graphic.)

When teens do wake up on time, they drive to school during rush hour, a prime time for accidents if the driver isn’t paying attention.

How can teens avoid driving drowsy? They can get more sleep and reverse the cycle of sleep debt.

NSF scientists suggest they do it by improving time management, avoiding alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and exercise within three hours of sleep, and removing “Sleep Robbers” (TVs, cell phones, computers) from bedrooms.

Getting more sleep will improve academic performance as well.

NSF’s poll shows that 80 percent of adolescents who get the optimal amount of sleep achieve As and Bs in school, while those students who get less sleep often get lower grades.

Some students with time constraints have changed their school schedules.

For instance, Ellison leaves school at 3 p.m. daily for crew practice.

“Missing about half an hour of school each day definitely affects my academic performance, but it’s a trade-off,” Ellison said.

Sher once missed a valuable opportunity because of his drowsiness: “In Dr. Baird’s class, I fell asleep during ‘Little Buddha.’ When I had the opportunity to complete an assignment about the movie, I couldn’t. I didn’t know how the movie ended,” Sher said.

Teachers say they have seen a decrease in the quality of work that sleep-deprived students turn in.

“Some students, after a particularly late night, cannot keep their eyes open; they fall asleep during class,” said teacher Jane Batarseh. “So I suggest that they take a nap on the mattress during class and complete their work for my class later.

Students need to get more sleep to perform well in school and stay alert on the road, avoiding collisions and death.

What good is studying all night if you don’t get to school in the morning?