Everyone has probably felt tired in the car at some point. It may be because of a long day at work, or maybe you had to drive an extended distance in a single day. People can also just get tired when they have to drive at night or from the constant hum of the road.
But did you know that excessive fatigue is actually not that much different than being impaired behind the wheel? For example, the Sleep Foundation studied drivers’ abilities and discovered that someone who had been awake for 20 consecutive hours was roughly just as impaired as someone who had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08%. In other words, staying up for the entire day could cause someone to act as if they were over the legal limit.
But it’s not just 20 hours of fatigue that causes a problem. At 18 hours, someone’s hand-eye coordination, reaction time and ability to multitask made it appear that they had a BAC of 0.05%. That could be enough for an impaired driving charge if someone was underage or a commercial driver, so it’s clear that it has an impact on their abilities.
Have you been injured?
The problem with fatigued driving is that it’s much harder to detect and prevent. Many people will assume that it’s safe enough to drive, even when they’re feeling tired. They may not realize just how serious the condition has become until they nod off behind the wheel and cause an accident.
If you’ve been injured in one of these accidents and you believe the other driver was negligent and put you at risk, then you may need to look into the legal options you have to seek compensation.
