A report released by the Governors Highway Safety Association is warning automobile operators of the dangers of driving while drowsy.

The report, titled “Wake Up Call! Understanding Drowsy Driving and What States Can Do,” lays out an abundance of data about the dangers of drowsy driving and offers some advice for drivers to steer clear of it.

“Drowsy driving is a common but neglected problem responsible for thousands of deaths each year in crashes that cost more than $100 billion,” the report said. “A drowsy driver is an unsafe driver.”

The report found that a driver who has been awake for 18 hours performs comparably to someone with a 0.05 percent blood-alcohol content. After 21 hours of wakefulness, drivers perform as well as someone with a 0.08 percent blood-alcohol content, which is considered legally drunk in most states, including Pennsylvania.

Butler City Deputy Chief Dave Adam said it is important that drivers know to avoid drowsy driving.

“My suggestion would be: If you’re driving and feel like you’re falling asleep, pull over,” he said. “You don’t want to put yourself in that situation.”

Certain areas are more prone to drowsy driving.

“As far as the city goes, we don’t have that problem too much. When you’re in the city you have lights flashing, people walking, bells ringing. There’s a lot going on,” Adam said. “When you’re on the highway it’s just long and rolling. A lot of the same landscape.”

There is no easy solution, the report said, but there are numerous countermeasures that can help mitigate the problem.

The first is data collection.

“Data collection should be the first focus of any state highway safety office, agency or organizational drowsy driving plan,” the report said.

A survey conducted by the AAA foundation found that nearly one-third of drivers acknowledged instances where they had trouble keeping their eyes open while driving the previous month. 43.2 percent admitted to dozing off while driving at least once in their lifetime.

People who drive as a part of their jobs are especially likely to drive drowsy.

“A study of nearly 5,000 North American police officers found that sleepiness is a common problem, with 46 percent reporting falling asleep while driving,” the report said. “Even more concerning, a quarter said it happened one to two times a month.”

The better a problem is understood the better it can be addressed.

Unfortunately, it’s difficult to determine how common drowsy driving is.

Adam said the only way to know if someone was falling asleep is if the driver admits it.

“It’s hard to pinpoint,” he said. “If the guy doesn’t tell you ‘Hey I was really sleeping back there,” there’s not much we can do.”

The report also recommended laws and policies that can encourage drivers to get more sleep and avoid late-night driving.

These may include punishing drivers who drive while drowsy, restricting the hours that teenagers are permitted to drive and moving up school start times.

Education and workplace policies are also recommended to raise awareness and encourage safer driving habits.

While the behavior of other drivers will never be fully controllable, the report listed some tips for those looking to get more sleep and take responsibility for their driving habits:

First, establish a schedule and stick to it. Sleeping in on weekends makes it harder to get up early on Monday. Additionally, nights with little sleep can cause accumulation of sleep debt, and it can take a while to pay it off.

Avoid caffeine in the afternoon or evening. It can take up to eight hours to wear off.

Don’t take afternoon naps.

Keep your sleeping environment technology free and at a cool temperature.

Take some time before going to bed to relax and disengage from computers, phones and other mentally stimulating activities.