Driving Drowsy Is Dangerous

While everyone knows the risks of drunk driving, many of us fail to recognize the dangers of drowsy driving.  It may seem obvious to not drive if you are about to fall asleep at the wheel, but many of us try and resist the urge to sleep and keep driving, hoping we will stay awake.  This, ladies and gentlemen, is a dangerous game.

Sleepiness can cause many impairments to our driving abilities, including reduced reaction time, slowed information processing, increased moodiness, aggressive behaviors, and for some, actually falling asleep at the wheel.  This alone should hint to us that drowsy driving is dangerous.  Studies show that staying awake for 18 hours can affect our abilities in the same way as having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% – making you just as incapable of driving when you are drowsy as if you were legally drunk.  You wouldn’t drive drunk, so you shouldn’t drive drowsy.

One of the major problems is that people fail to recognize they are too sleepy to drive.  Here are a few hints to know if you are drowsy at the wheel:

1)      You have difficulty focusing

2)      Your eyelids feel heavy

3)      You keep daydreaming or have wandering thoughts

4)      You have trouble remembering the last few miles driven

5)      You have trouble keeping your head up

6)      You drift from your lane

7)      You feel restless or irritable when you normally wouldn’t

We must resist the urge to press on driving when we are sleepy.  Stay safe.  Don’t drive.  Pull over; have a coffee; take a nap for 15 or 20 minutes (if you nap longer than 20 minutes, you will feel groggy for a few minutes after awakening); take a walk – do something.  If there is another driver in the car who isn’t drowsy, have them drive!  Just don’t drive when drowsy.

If you or someone you know has been in an accident due to drowsy driving, contact the InjuryHelpline.  Their experts will connect you to a personal injury attorney who can guide you through the process of finding legal help.

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