Getting a good night’s sleep helps you feel your best, especially when you’re getting behind the wheel. Sadly, many people struggle with sleep issues, and it’s common to feel pressure to drive to work despite having been up all night. While there are lots of reasons why someone might be fatigued, the truth is that drowsy driving can place you and everyone else on the road at a higher risk of experiencing an accident.
Fatigued driving is often compared to driving while intoxicated. Although you might not have alcohol in your system, you might face similar symptoms from being drowsy. Having a delayed reaction time, experiencing foggy thinking or feeling the urge to rush to the office can all create the perfect storm of contributors for vehicle collisions that cause serious injuries.
When you commute to work every day, it is common to feel like you could do the drive with your eyes closed. Yet, no one should feel this confident on the road. Whether you’ve just been hit by a drowsy driver or are exploring ways to avoid an accident, knowing why being sleep-deprived is hazardous can help you take the right steps to safeguard your well-being.
Understand the Risks of Driving Fatigued
The most obvious risk of driving while you are tired is that you could fall asleep at the wheel. Sadly, nodding off could cause you to veer into oncoming traffic or hit cars that are stopped at a light. Multi-vehicle car accidents are often started by drowsy drivers. The risk of fatalities also increases anytime you hit a car head-on or are rear-ended by cars traveling at normal rates of speed.
Drivers who are tired tend to have slower reaction times compared to people who are alert. When you combine the delayed reaction with reduced vigilance, it’s easy to suddenly wind up in a collision. Unfortunately, drowsy driving also tends to happen in the early morning hours when many commuters are just waking up.
Traffic is often heavier at this time, and there could be pedestrians and cyclists using public roads and walking paths. Being fatigued could cause someone to fail to respond in time to someone using a crosswalk or hit a cyclist, which often contributes to higher injury rates.
Watch Out for Compounding Factors
Drowsy commuters tend to have other issues interfering with their driving abilities at the same time. For instance, many people become so accustomed to their commute that they feel like they are on autopilot. The monotony of a long and repetitive drive increases the chances of falling asleep or losing focus.
Exhausted drivers might also be engaging in shift work that throws their body’s responses off balance. Night shift workers might still be drowsy as they wake up to drive in the dark. Meanwhile, nurses might find that long, late-night hours make fatigue worse.
Fatigue can sometimes cause people to take more risks as they drive due to foggy thinking. Feeling the need to rush to work after waking up late might cause a tired driver to go faster than they can mentally handle. Stress from heavy traffic can exacerbate fatigue and further increase the chances of having an accident.
Know How to Spot Drowsy Drivers
Being able to recognize when a drowsy driver is near you on the road helps you take defensive driving measures to protect your safety. As always, you may need to report someone who is clearly a hazard on the road by contacting the local authorities and providing their information, as long as you can do so safely.
You can also assume that drowsy drivers are on the road anytime you are commuting to work in the early morning or late-night hours. While many people take turns driving and only get behind the wheel with proper rest, rush hour tends to be when you see fatigued commuters the most.
A drowsy driver may engage in behavior that looks like they are inebriated. Drifting in between lanes or hitting rumble strips are signs that someone might be struggling to stay focused as they drive. Some fatigued commuters might also ignore traffic signals or seem to respond at the very last second. Tailgating is also common when someone is too tired to gauge distance well.
If you drive alongside a drowsy driver, you might notice them rubbing their eyes or yawning. Noticeably nodding off is also a serious warning sign that an accident could be imminent. If you get into an accident, then you might notice that the driver looks disheveled or has droopy eyes. Seeming unaware of what happened could also indicate that the driver was distracted or extremely fatigued.
As a driver, it is important to always check how you are feeling before you get behind the wheel. If you know that you’ve had a sleepless night, then look for alternative ways to get to work. Car pooling with a nearby coworker is an option that can keep you safe. Or, you might live near public transportation services that you can use to rest while you travel to your workplace. If you are able to, working remotely from home for a day could save you from a serious accident.
If you are involved in a collision with a driver that you suspect is fatigued, then try to take note of any details you notice. Being able to tell a skilled personal injury lawyer that you saw the driver swerving or nodding off can help you when it comes time to file a legal claim. You can also look for witnesses to the accident who might also be able to share details that support the responsible party being fatigued.
Although you cannot control everything that happens on the road, you can make sure that you start driving with a fresh, clear mind every day. As a passenger, you can also choose a different form of transportation if your driver looks tired.
If the worst happens, then do your best to ensure that everyone receives the appropriate medical care for their injuries and document the event to begin planning for a strong recovery. Being well-rested will help you manage the accident and remember key details that could help your case in the future.
