Sleepy Drivers Are As Dangerous As Drunk Drivers

It is one of the sad facts of modern life that many people are not getting adequate sleep. When humans were still living in caves, they followed a more natural circadian rhythm, which involved being awake and active when the sun was out, and turning in and sleeping after the sun set. However, the twentieth century has given humans artificial lights, twenty four hour entertainment and numerous brightly lit screens like TV, tablets and smart phones that keep many awake at night and disrupt sleep. Add to this dangerous mix the sheer amount of exhausted, sleepy workers and students who get behind the wheel, and you have a disaster coming your way. Driving while drosy could affect what kind of accident compensation would be given, according to Daniel J. O’Neill, an attorney specializing in accidents. Numerous studies have shown that sleepy drivers are just as dangerous as drunk drivers. The National Sleep Foundation states that more than half (sixty percent) of drivers surveyed admitted to have driven while feeling sleepy at least once over the past year. A lot of responders admitted they regularly force themselves to drive even though they are already sleepy. What’s more, four percent of responders said they already had an accident or a near miss in the past due to drowsy driving.

How Sleepy Is Too Sleepy?

If you have been awake for eighteen hours, your ability to drive is as bad as someone whose blood alcohol level if 0.05 percent. Worse, if you have been forcing yourself to stay awake for 24 hours, your driving ability gets even worse, like a drunk person with a 0.10 percent blood alcohol content level. This shows that a sleepy driver is as dangerous as a drunk driver. Therefore it is imperative to get deep, good quality sleep for at least seven or eight hours. Failure to prevent lack of sleep may result in higher chance of getting into a car crash. Drivers with fewer than seven hours of sleep double their chance of getting into an accident, while those who have fewer than five hours of sleep increase their risk to four or five times. Drivers should resist the temptation to drive if they are feeling tired or sleepy. Perhaps they could have somebody else to drive for them, or they could switch to taking public transportation. They would not be endangering both their lives and others’.

Getting Compensation From Sleepy Drivers Who Crash Into You

Driving while sleepy is considered as a negligent act as it could cause serious injury to the other party. An experienced personal injury attorney would be able to offer reliable legal advice on how to receive financial compensation if you have been the victim of drowsy driving. There are drivers who are more at risk of causing accidents to others because they have been sleep deprived. These range from overnight shift workers, long haul drivers, patients who take medicines that cause drowsiness or have untreated or undiagnosed sleeping disorders.