Many people in the United States have more things to do than time to handle their responsibilities. The average adult needs 8 hours of sleep and will have to be at work for between 8 and 9 hours (depending on the length of their lunch break) throughout the week.
Additionally, people need time to exercise, groom themselves, attend necessary appointments, maintain their house, maintain their yard and continue their personal relationships. For quite a few adults, sleep ends up getting cut when there isn’t enough time to handle the necessary obligations or their family, work and private lives.
Sleep deprivation negatively impacts someone’s ability to drive safely even if they stay awake, and an extremely exhausted driver can literally fall asleep at the wheel.
How often does fatigue lead to someone sleeping while driving? Here’s what you need to know:
You have probably crossed paths with a few fatigued drivers today
Chronic fatigue and exhaustion are such pressing issues for safety on the roads that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracks fatigue as a risk factor for crashes.
According to self-reported information from drivers, at least 1 in 25 drivers will admit to falling asleep at the wheel in the last 30 days. Some of those people admit to multiple incidents where they lost consciousness due to fatigue in the last month.
A driver who falls asleep will not have any control over the vehicle, which could quickly result in a crash that causes missing property damage and serious injuries. It could even cost someone their life. Those hurt by fatigued or drowsy drivers may need to take civil action against the person who fell asleep at the wheel. If you’ve been victimized or a close family member was killed, find out more about your legal options.