1 IN 5 SERIOUS CAR ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY SLEEP DEPRIVATION

• Less than 4 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period means a 15 times increased risk of causing a car accident. 
• 24 hours of no sleep or a week of 4-5 hours of sleep per night equals 1.0 blood alcohol level (4 glasses). This is twice the amount allowed by law.
• The highest risk of falling asleep at the wheel: young adults, between midnight and 6 a.m. and in the case of untreated sleep disorders. 
• Beter Bed develops online training modules with doctor and sleep coach Aline Kruit.
• Beter Bed launches the Better Sleep app.

Sleeping badly causes more problems than many people are aware of. Besides having a negative effect on health, lack of sleep has the same effect in traffic as drinking alcohol. 20 per cent of serious car accidents could have been prevented if drivers had rested properly before taking the wheel. Beter Bed Holding N.V. (BBH) has focused for years on improving sleep as part of its Sleep better, live better brand promise. With that in mind, the sleep specialist released a sleep manifesto earlier this year and is working with numerous experts, both Dutch and foreign, in the field of sleep. Today is the International Day of Sleep. Reason for the formula to draw attention to road safety in combination with the importance of a good night’s sleep. To illustrate the effect of too little sleep on driving, racing driver Tom Coronel did in a simulator after 24 hours without sleep. Sleep scientist Merijn van de Laar concluded that focused attention and concentration decreased significantly after 24 hours without sleep.

For the complete version of the press release and the English subtitle of Tom Coronel's test drive, please click on the link under attachment.

Press photos can be downloaded .

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