Did you know that driving while tired is one of the fastest growing causes of highway crashes and fatalities across the country? Recent estimates suggest that sleepy motorists contribute to more than 70,000 accidents, send more than 30,000 people to the hospital and claim up to 6,000 lives every year, and these numbers are increasing at an alarming rate.
Unfortunately, there is not a lot of awareness about the impact that fatigue can have on our ability to drive safely, and this is contributing to this growing trend. Here are a few things worth considering before deciding to get behind the wheel when you know you should be sleeping instead.
Impairment
A lack of sleep can produce symptoms that are similar to the effects of alcohol. For example, the average adult who has been awake for more than 16 hours can be just as impaired as someone who has a blood alcohol content of .05 percent. An individual who has been up for 18-24 hours can be just as impaired as someone with a blood alcohol content of .10 percent. However, the effects on driving behavior between the two can be very different.
Most drunk drivers, unless they pass out behind the wheel, will still try to avoid hazards even if their reaction time time is slowed or their judgment is impaired. They may slow down, swerve or stop erratically, but they still maintain some degree of control of the vehicle. On the other hand, people who momentarily nod-off while still driving full-speed are more likely to be involved in serious, and often tragic, accidents. Consequently, it can be argued that tired drivers can be more of a threat than motorists who are drunk.
Effects
While all of us are intimately-familiar with the effects of sleep deprivation and how it makes us feel, there are a few that have a direct impact on our ability to drive safely. We are less-likely to pay attention, using good judgment becomes difficult, and our reaction time slows down. We can become momentarily-paralyzed, briefly nod-off or even hallucinate as we slip in and out of consciousness. While these things may only last for a second or two as they come and go, that’s more than enough time for a tragedy to occur.
Unfortunately, there is something embedded in our collective-driving DNA that says that it’s okay to push-through being tired in order to make it to our intended destinations. People just think that it’s normal and acceptable, and this makes it even more-difficult to make the right decision to get some rest instead of continuing down the road. In fact, nearly 75% of the vehicle-driving public is thought to have either nodded-off behind the wheel or drove when they knew they were too-tired.
Be Alert
The vast majority of people who nod-off, as well as those who are involved in fatigue-related accidents, received less than 6 hours of sleep during the previous 24 hours. Not surprisingly, most accidents occur at night, and it’s more-likely that innocent motorists will be injured or killed than the sleep-deprived individuals who caused them in the first place.
Make sure that you’re always alert and maintaining good situational awareness while you drive, especially at night. Minimize distractions, be prepared to take evasive action, and never let your guard down. While many tragic accidents are caused by fatigued motorists, many could have been avoided if the victims were more-aware of their surroundings.
Finally, don’t push the edge of the envelope too-far. Know your limitations and when it’s best to sleep instead of drive. At the end of the day, the risks are rarely worth the rewards, and there’s really no good reason to try and tempt fate.
