Public awareness campaigns have helped educate motorists about the risks of drunk driving and distracted driving. However, there is another dangerous driving condition that is arguably far more common than drunk driving or even distracted driving.
Drowsy driving occurs when a motorist who has not had adequate rest gets behind the wheel. Drowsy drivers can cause serious crashes and endanger other people on the road. Many people do not understand what makes drowsy driving dangerous and may therefore be more inclined to choose to drive while feeling fatigued.
What factors make drowsy driving so risky?
Fatigue impairs driving ability
Professionals concerned with road safety have conducted research into how drowsiness affects driving capabilities. The results of that research are relatively alarming. After going an extended period of time without rest, drivers can be as dangerous as they might be after consuming too much alcohol.
Drowsy drivers may have difficulty focusing while they drive. They may be so tired that they struggle to make an appropriate decision when they must react quickly to changing traffic conditions. They may also experience increased reaction times.
These impairments are similar to what people experience after consuming alcohol or other mind-altering substances. The longer a motorist goes without adequate rest, the greater the likelihood that they might make mistakes at the wheel or have performance issues that cause a crash.
Drowsiness may lead to microsleep
Another issue with driving while fatigued is the risk of becoming unconscious. According to self-reported data, as many as one in 25 drivers admits to falling asleep at the wheel within the last month. Some of those drivers may have had more than one experience of losing consciousness while driving.
Frequently, a lapse in consciousness while driving involves microsleep. The driver only loses consciousness for a few seconds. Still, any lapse in awareness could be enough to result in a driver losing control of their vehicle. They could swerve into oncoming traffic or otherwise create a situation in which a crash is all but inevitable.
Unlike alcohol, which is easy to test for, proving that a driver was too fatigued to drive can be a challenge. However, establishing that drowsiness was the underlying cause of the crash isn’t always necessary to hold the driver at fault accountable.
Avoiding drowsy driving can help motorists limit their chances of causing a collision. Those involved in motor vehicle collisions that may be the result of a fatigued motorist driving poorly may have grounds to initiate an insurance claim or file a personal injury lawsuit.