Provide names of other journalists involved.
Executive Producer, Jeanmarie Condon Sr. Producer: Mark Lima Lisa Stark, Correspondent Gitika Ahuja, Producer Dan Pryzgoda, Producer
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
8/14/2012
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
Americans are increasingly relying on sleeping pills to get a good night’s sleep, with over 60 million prescriptions filled every year. 44 million of those prescriptions are for Ambien, the most popular sleep aid. There’s increasing concern though over a dangerous side-effect: sleep driving. Just this summer Kerry Kennedy was stopped after a hit and run accident. She told police she may have accidently taken Ambien and gotten behind the wheel of her car. Others have taken the medication intending to go to bed, but have somehow ended up on the road. Four years ago the FDA added warnings about sleep-driving to the pills’ labels, but that hasn’t stopped incidents from occurring. ABC News wanted to see, and show viewers, what can happen with you take Ambien and get behind the wheel of a car. We went to the nation’s most sophisticated driving simulator for a first of its kind test. Our results show how quickly the drug acts, and how long it continues to affect your ability to function. We hope that for those using the pills, the story is a wake-up call. Along with the astonishing pictures of what driving on Ambien looks like, we worked to convey information on how to use the medication correctly.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
FOI requests not required
Explain types of human sources used.
Our own correspondent Lisa Stark
Results:
Our test and data so impressed the researchers, that they have asked ABC’s permission to use our reporting as part of a grant application to do further studies into this phenomenon.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
We believe that demonstration stories like this one can be very effective in informing audiences about health risks, but must be done carefully and ethically. Reporters should work with medical professionals to assess how to take Ambien safely and to correlate the test with actual drug performance. For example we did our first medicated driving test 20 minutes after taking the drug because studies have indicated that is when Ambien, which is designed to work fast, first takes effect. Finally we considered two venues for our testing. One option was to use a driving course with the help of a nationally known driving school. The other option was the driving simulator. We ultimately decided the simulator would provide more precise data and would be safer for everyone involved. Finally, reporters should also ensure that viewers leave with good information on how to use the medication safely.