Getting enough sleep is something many people struggle with here in the United States. In today’s busy world, finding the time to get the recommended amount can be challenging. However, it is incredibly important. Sleep deprivation can cause many problems, including traffic safety problems.
This is because it can lead to drowsy driving. This can put a driver at risk of making mistakes or falling asleep when at the wheel. A recently published study looked at the dangers that sleep deprivation creates out on the roads.
For one, it looked at crash data to see how common of an accident factor drowsy driving is in the nation. It found that drowsy driving was involved in around 7 percent of U.S. traffic crashes.
Fatigued driving was found to be particularly common in fatal auto crashes. Around 16 percent of such accidents involved tired drivers, according to the study.
The study also looked at how much high amounts of sleep deprivation increase accident risk. The study found that drivers who got under four hours of sleep had a 15 times higher likelihood of causing a crash than those who got seven to nine hours of sleep.
According to the study’s researchers, this is comparable to the accident risk connected to driving with a blood alcohol level 1.5 times the legal limit.
So, while some might dismiss driving while tired as not a big deal, it can carry dangers similar to drunk driving. So, it is critical for drivers to not get behind the wheel when they are too tired.
Encountering a drowsy driver out on the roads is among the things that could lead to a person being the victim of a car crash. When individuals suspect that an accident they were injured in was caused by a drowsy driver, they may want to discuss their options related to compensation with a skilled auto accident lawyer.