One potentially underreported issue on the road is fatigued driving. People don’t realize how prominent this is, and even statistics regarding accidents may be underreported. After all, there’s no way for the police to definitively test and see if the driver who caused the accident was fatigued at the time, the same way they can test for the presence of drugs or alcohol in someone’s system.
But the reality is that fatigued driving brings on many of the same symptoms you would see with impaired driving. It can reduce a person’s reaction speed, making it harder for them to avoid an accident. It can reduce their focus on the road. In some cases, an extremely fatigued driver is even at risk of falling asleep behind the wheel. While rare, this can cause a catastrophic accident.
How can drivers avoid fatigue?
There are a few things that drivers can do to attempt to avoid feeling extremely tired while driving. Some drivers will drink a cup of coffee in the car. Others will listen to the radio, turn up the AC or roll down the window. If they have a passenger in the car with them, it can be wise to have the passenger talk to them and keep them awake.
That said, many of these things are distracting, so they can also have a negative impact on the person’s driving ability. Imagine a driver who is blasting the radio, with the window open, while lifting a cup of coffee to take a drink. They are not necessarily as focused as they need to be on driving safely. As such, the best counter to fatigued driving is simply getting proper rest and pulling over if you feel too tired to drive.
Unfortunately, some fatigued drivers will still cause accidents, and you could suffer injuries. Be sure you know how to seek financial compensation for your injuries and other losses.