New Year's Eve: Free Coffee Will Rev Up Drowsy Drivers
DALLAS, Dec. 30, 2003 -- After a night of New Year's revelry, party-goers who stop at participating 7-Eleven(R) stores can ring in the New Year with a fresh, free, hot, cup of coffee. For the 16th year, the convenience retailer will host its "Free Coffee on New Year's Eve" program during the overnight hours. [Times vary by area. See attached chart for locations and times.]
Stores in various areas of the country will participate in the program, which was designed to help combat the increase in drowsy driving that occurs during the holiday. The offer includes 7-Eleven stores' Cafe Select regular and flavored coffee, gourmet specialties such as cappuccino, and hot chocolate. Participating stores will display a sign on the front window announcing information about the free-coffee program.
"A lot of people stay up later than they are used to on New Year's Eve, and a hot cup of coffee may make their drive home safer," said Kris Nelson, manager, Coffee/Cafe Cooler. "We also want to thank our customers who have made 7-Eleven coffee so popular."
Driving while drowsy can be as hazardous as driving while intoxicated. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that conservatively 100,000 crashes, 40,000 injuries and 1,500 fatalities yearly are caused by drivers who are asleep.
To date, 7-Eleven stores across the United States have given away more than a million cups of coffee since starting the free-coffee program in 1988. But that's a drop in the cup compared to 365 million cups of coffee the retailer sells a year ... almost 10,000 pots per hour, every day of the year.
Free Coffee On New Year's Eve - Participating Areas
State/City/Areas Size Cup Offered Hours for Free Coffee
Colorado - Denver, Aurora, 12-oz. Midnight - 4 a.m.
Loveland, Ft. Collins,
Longmont, Greeley, Evans,
Commerce City, Brighton,
Sterling, Ft. Morgan, Brush,
Yuma, Wray, Federal Heights,
Thornton, Westminster,
Broomfield, Northglenn,
Boulder, Arvada, Louisville,
Lafayette, Colorado Springs,
Pueblo
Connecticut 12-oz. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
Illinois - Chicago 12-oz. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
Indiana - South Bend 12-oz. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
Kansas - Kansas City 12-oz. 11 p.m. - 4 a.m.
Maine 12-oz. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
Massachusetts - Boston 12-oz. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
Michigan - Detroit 12-oz. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
Missouri - Kansas City,
St. Louis 12-oz. 11 p.m. - 4 a.m.
New Hampshire 12-oz. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
New York - Buffalo 12-oz. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
Ohio - Toledo 12-oz. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
Pennsylvania - Philadelphia 16-oz. Midnight - 6 a.m.
Rhode Island 12-oz. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
Texas - Austin, Temple, 12-oz. 11 p.m. - 4 a.m.
Killeen, Hillsboro and
Copperas Cove
Texas - Dallas, Plano and 12-oz. Midnight - 4 a.m.
Richardson
Utah - Salt Lake, Davis, 12-oz. 11 p.m. - 3 a.m.
Weber and Utah counties
Vermont 12-oz. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
7-Eleven Stores' "Free Coffee on New Year's Eve"
According to a report published in 1996 by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the greatest proportion of drowsy-driving crashes occur during the late-night hours and a higher proportion of the most serious crashes are related to drowsiness.
WARNING SIGNS OF DROWSY DRIVING:
-- You feel drowsy. You can't stop yawning.
-- Your eyes burn or feel strained. You have difficulty keeping your
eyes open and focused.
-- You can't remember driving the last few miles.
-- You have trouble keeping your head up.
-- You drift from your lane or hit a rumble strip.
-- You have wandering or disconnected thoughts.
-- You tailgate or miss traffic signs.
-- You keep jerking your vehicle back into the lane.
TIPS TO STAY ALERT:
-- Get proper sleep prior to the holiday.
-- Take a friend along to help keep you awake.
-- Take frequent breaks when driving long distances.
-- Drink a caffeinated beverage for short-term alertness.
DROWSY DRIVING FACTS:
-- Thirty-seven percent of drivers have nodded off for at least a moment
or fallen asleep while driving at least once in their driving career.
-- Eight percent have done so within the past six months.
-- Nodding off or falling asleep is most prevalent among drivers age
21-29 (13%) and males (11%) and least prevalent among drivers over
age 64 (4%) and females (5%). Shift workers whose sleep is disrupted
by working at night or working long or irregular hours are also at
risk.
RISK FACTORS FOR DROWSY-DRIVING CRASHES
-- Sleep loss.
-- Driving patterns, including driving between midnight and 6 a.m.;
driving a substantial number of miles each year/or a substantial
number of hours each day; driving in the late afternoon hours
(especially for older persons); and driving for longer times without
taking a break.
-- Use of sedating medications, especially prescribed anxiolytic
hypnotics, tricyclic antidepressants, and some antihistamines.
-- Untreated or unrecognized sleep disorders.
-- Consumption of alcohol, which interacts with and adds to drowsiness.
CHARACTERISTICS OF DROWSY-DRIVING CRASHES
-- The problem occurs during late night/early morning or late afternoon.
-- The crash is likely to be serious.
-- The crash involves a single vehicle leaving the roadway.
-- The crash occurs on a high-speed road.
-- The driver does not attempt to avoid the crash.
-- The driver is alone in the vehicle.
FUN FACTS ABOUT 7-ELEVEN COFFEE
-- 7-Eleven sells around 365 million cups of coffee a year. That's
almost 10,000 pots an hour, every day of the year.
-- Until 7-Eleven began testing coffee-by-the-cup in its East Coast
stores in the mid-'60s, coffee drinkers had to make their own at home
or go out to a restaurant.
-- 7-Eleven stores were one of the first retailers to grind coffee beans
right in the store to ensure the freshest cup of java around.
-- Coffee ranks second, behind soft drinks as the most popular drink
among U.S. adults.
-- 60 percent of all coffee customers shop between 5 and 10 a.m.
-- It takes three to five years for a tree to produce coffee. Each tree
yields about one pound of coffee per year.
-- About 40 percent of coffee consumers drink their coffee black. The
majority, 60 percent, add a sweetener or creamer.
