The United States is a nation full of sleep-deprived individuals. Even worse, many of them get behind the wheel for their daily commute or to drop the kids off at school. You were likely sharing the road today with someone too tired to drive.
You know the dangers of drunk driving, but did you know that drowsy driving is hazardous as well? The truth is that fatigued drivers play a role in thousands of serious crashes every year, and the real numbers are likely much higher because fatigue is so hard to measure after a crash.
The little-known threat of fatigue behind the wheel
Studies show that a person who has been awake for 17 hours has the same impairment as a person with a .05% blood alcohol concentration (BAC). At 24 hours, it jumps to .10% BAC, which is over the legal limit (.08%) for driving.
When you don’t get enough sleep, your brain slows down, affecting your ability to:
- React quickly
- Judge distances
- Notice hazards
Many fatigued drivers have experienced “microsleeps” as they struggle to stay awake. Microsleep is a term used to describe brief lapses in which your brain alternates between wakefulness and sleep, lasting up to 30 seconds. When it occurs while you’re driving on the highway at 60 mph, your vehicle can travel the length of a football field in just 3 seconds.
Unfortunately, unlike alcohol, there’s no test to determine a driver’s level of fatigue. Furthermore, it’s unlikely that a driver would admit to falling asleep at the wheel. However, there are some indications that a crash could be fatigue-related, such as the following:
- There are no skid marks (because the driver didn’t brake).
- The driver veered off the road.
- It’s a solo driver on a long trip.
Still, without physical evidence, many drowsy-driving crashes go unreported. That doesn’t mean you should have to bear the financial burden of someone else’s poor decision to drive tired. If you’re injured in a crash and you suspect fatigue was a factor, you need to contact someone who has the expertise to investigate fatigue-related accidents. They can help you get the compensation you deserve.
