Sometimes a good night’s sleep is hard to come by. We may be up all night with a crying baby, burning the midnight oil at work or we may simply suffer from insomnia. Nevertheless, when morning comes, we must go about our daily routines as tired as we are and for many that includes driving. Unfortunately, drowsy drivers are at risk of causing a serious car crash.
What are some common causes of drowsiness?
There are a variety of causes of drowsiness that a motorist may suffer from. One is simply not getting the recommended seven or more hours of sleep at night. However, drowsiness can also be caused by being awake for many hours in a row, sleeping poorly over multiple days, driving during times in which your body’s circadian rhythm makes you naturally drowsy, performing monotonous tasks or taking medications that list drowsiness as a side effect.
How does drowsiness affect our ability to drive?
Drowsy driving can have a significant impact on our ability to drive. If we are drowsy, we may nod off while behind the wheel or fall into “microsleeps,” which could lead to lane drifting. Drowsiness slows our reaction time and can cause us to make poor choices while driving. Drowsiness can also cause “tunnel vision.” Finally, drowsiness can cause us to forget the last few miles we drove.
Learn more about drowsy driving
Drowsy driving is dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. Unfortunately, some drivers will make the risky decision to drive while drowsy leading to a serious car crash. This post is for educational purposes only and does not contain legal advice. Those who have been injured in a drowsy driving accident may find our firm’s website to be a useful source of information.