Everyone knows what it is like to be tired but still have to try to function during the day. Mondays in the office are often hard after a long weekend. A day at work is tough when kids have been up all night. The stress of day-to-day living can make for fatigue in anyone.
Though being tired is a common ailment, it is still crucial to recognize fatigue’s significant danger to motorists. Say, for example, someone causes a car accident in Salisbury that injures other motorists. “Sorry, I am so tired. I didn’t sleep enough last night,” is not a valid excuse for the harm caused.
Just imagine if every driver responsible for the reported 8,000 lives lost to drowsy driving accidents used the excuse, “Sorry, I could barely keep my eyes open.” Sure, fatigue does cause accidents, but that is a known fact; therefore, all drivers must take precaution to avoid driving while drowsy.
Authorities have most control over preventing drowsy driving among the professional driving field. It is easier to put driving hours regulations on businesses rather than on private citizens. Commercial drivers are allowed to drive only a certain number of hours before needing time off to sleep. They must log their hours.
Driver fatigue is a major contributor to fatal truck accidents across the country. It isn’t just truckers, however, who become drowsy behind the wheel. A study looks at drivers after they worked night shifts compared to drivers who got at least 5 hours of sleep. Those who worked the night shift and then drove displayed drowsy, dangerous driving behaviors and an overall increased risk of causing a crash.
Drowsy driving is dangerous. It is preventable. Someone who knows they are not alert enough to drive should avoid getting behind the wheel. Someone who is injured due to driver fatigue has the right to try to hold the negligent driver responsible for his or her dangerous decision to drive.
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