It’s very dangerous for people to drive when they are overly fatigued. Being too tired behind the wheel can even lead to situations where people fall asleep or nod off for a second. This can cause all manner of car accidents, from rear-end accidents to crashes where a tired driver drifts over the centerline. There are fatal accidents linked to fatigue every single year.
However, studies have found that a concerning number of people will still drive when they are tired. The minimum total presented by the Sleep Foundation is 50%, so at least half of all drivers – and likely more – will continue driving even if they’re fatigued.
Additionally, reports even found that roughly one out of every four drivers reported falling asleep behind the wheel. The study had only looked at events that occurred in the last 30 days, so it is likely that the actual percentage of drivers who have experienced this is much higher. The study only showed who had experienced it lately.
Why is fatigued driving so problematic?
The issue with fatigued driving is that it’s very similar to drunk driving. Just like someone who is intoxicated could black out behind the wheel, a tired driver could nod off. Just like an impaired driver would have slower reactions, a fatigued driver may react too slowly when they need to slow the car down or make adjustments based on traffic around them.
In fact, police officers may sometimes suspect that fatigued drivers are impaired when they see the driving mistakes that these drivers make. It’s also true that a combination of fatigue and alcohol can be very problematic for any driver.
Unfortunately, there’s always a risk that someone could be hit by another negligent driver, even if they are not impaired or fatigued. If this happens, the injured parties need to know how they can seek financial compensation.
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