Like most people, you probably feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything you need to do. Between your working hours, commute and family responsibilities, you may not have enough time for adequate sleep.
Although the typical American reliance on caffeine can help each day progress, you aren’t the only one struggling to balance multiple facets of your life. Unfortunately, many other drivers are also sleepy when they get behind the wheel.
Fatigue increases risk
Research about the effects of exhaustion on cognition and safety suggests that the longer you go without sleep, the worse your driving will become. At times, it can be difficult to recognize the full effect of drowsiness. Yet more than 40% of drivers admit to falling asleep at the wheel at least once.
Additionally, sleepiness could lead to significant crash injuries due to reduced focus and slowed reaction time. In some cases, sleep deprivation can have the same bodily effects as a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08%.
Accountability for injuries
Sleepiness could factor into a wide range of crash scenarios. From running a red light to veering into another lane of traffic, motorists should recognize when they are too tired to get in the driver’s seat. From there, they have the responsibility to act accordingly.
If you suffer due to another driver’s negligent behavior, you likely have the right to hold him or her accountable through filing a personal injury claim. Although money will not erase the trauma experienced in an accident, a personal injury can help ease the life-altering effects of catastrophic injuries by holding parties responsible for their negligence.
