Just about every driver has found themselves too tired to drive home at some point. Unfortunately, most drivers will still get behind the wheel to get home before the rest. These drivers have many techniques to keep themselves awake for the ride, such as listening to loud music, opening the window, drinking coffee, setting ventilation to uncomfortable temperatures, or talking on the phone. The reality of the situation is that no matter what, driving while drowsy can cause car accidents and severe injuries to others. Over 800 people lose their lives, and thousands sustain injuries due to drowsy driving in the United States.
About 1 in 25 drivers have admitted to falling asleep while driving. If a driver falls asleep while driving, it often results in complete loss of control of the car and leaves the driver with almost no time to react and avoid a car crash. However, a driver doesn’t have to fall asleep, so drowsy driving is deemed dangerous. Drowsiness behind the wheel can cause the following:
- Significant decrease in the ability to focus on the road
- Little to no reaction time to avoid accidents
- Reduced ability to use proper judgment
If you are ever in a situation where you miss an exit, start yawning profusely, feel your eyes begin to get heavy, forget the last few miles you drove, hit rumble strips, or start drifting from your lane due to drowsiness, pull over immediately and get some rest. Do not return to the road until you have gotten rest. These are all warning signs that your sleepiness has become unsafe for you and other motorists. If you ignore these red flags and continue to drive, you will eventually crash into another vehicle.
If a driver was aware that they were drowsy and chose to stay on the road, any injured victims have the absolute right to seek as much compensation as necessary from the negligent driver. If you have been involved in a drowsy driving accident, call your local car accident expert attorneys to know your rights and the best course of action.
Most Common Drowsy Drivers
The most dangerous drowsy drivers are commercial drivers that operate large trucks. It almost feels sometimes that it is encouraged to have commercial drivers drive through their drowsiness. With strict deadlines, boring or monotonous work shifts, the comfort of sleeping in their trucks, and most changes happening in the late hours of the night to avoid traffic, it’s not to our astonishment that commercial drivers are involved in drowsy car accidents. Instead of these drivers obtaining the proper amount of rest, they resort to the consumption of coffee, energy drinks, and in some cases, drugs to cope with their exhaustion. Commercial drivers need to be fully aware of the devastating consequences of semi-truck accidents, as many of them result in life-threatening injuries or death.
