The need of people in today’s society to stay busy means that they may skimp on sleep. While this may seem like the best option in some cases, it can present a tremendous safety hazard if a person who skipped sleep gets behind the wheel of a vehicle.
Prolonged lack of sleep can lead to a significant impact on a person’s ability to drive a vehicle safely. This can mimic drunk driving. By the time a person goes without sleep for 20 hours, they will have the same impairments as someone who has a blood alcohol concentration of .08%, which is legally intoxicated.
Other causes of fatigued driving
There are other causes of fatigued driving that don’t involve lack of sleep. In some cases, the cause is driving at a time when your body expects sleep, but you’re behind the wheel instead. This is often the case when a person works swing or overnight shifts.
Medications and medical conditions are also possible causes. Over-the-counter medicines like those used for allergies, prescription medications like narcotics and illegal drugs can all cause drowsiness. Medical conditions, such as sleep apnea, can also cause people to be too sleepy to drive safely.
Fatigue doesn’t have any quick fixes, so drivers should ensure they don’t try to push themselves to drive when they’re fatigued. The only way to overcome fatigue is to get sleep, so drivers shouldn’t try to use methods like drinking caffeine or opening the windows as permanent solutions.
Crashes caused by fatigued driving can lead to catastrophic injuries. Those victims may need costly medical attention, so they may decide that they’re going to seek compensation for the damages. Working with someone familiar with these matters may be beneficial, so they can explain the options and assist throughout the process.