N.C. State linebacker featured in 'drowsy driving' PSA

On June 28, 2009, the 22-year-old linebacker was visiting his family in his hometown of Wallace when he decided to drive back to Raleigh.

It was late. He shrugged off feeling tired and set out on the 90-mile trip he had made countless times before.

Thirty miles from Raleigh, however, Irving fell asleep behind the wheel, and his SUV hit two trees.

He woke up in the emergency room at WakeMed in Raleigh with a separated shoulder, collapsed lung, cracked ribs and a compound fracture in his left leg.

“I could have died because I didn’t get enough rest,” Irving said. “I was lucky, but the next person may not be.”

“I went through that for a reason,” Irving said. “I think my reason was to share with other people and let them know what I went through and possible prevent other people from going through the same thing.”

DOT traffic engineer Kevin Lacy said a vehicle speeding at a rate of 60-70 mph travels about 100 feet per second. Dozing off for three or four seconds, could mean 300 to 400 feet of putting

“It’s easily a formula for disaster,” he said.

Since 2005, North Carolina has averaged about 27 deaths a year, more than 2,200 injuries and more than 2,900 crashes, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Statistics on drowsy driving do not reflect how big the problem is, the DOT said, because most drivers involved in crashes don’t admit they fell asleep at the wheel.

“I think it is exceptional that Nate Irving is warning people about the hazards that he personally experienced,” Lacy said. “It is 100 percent avoidable.”

The North Carolina Department of Transportation offers the following recommendations to help avoid drowsy driving:

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