What should Carlsbad drivers know about drowsy driving? It is extremely dangerous, and it may result in impaired driving car accidents that are similar to those involving alcohol. According to a recent study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, reported in a CBS News article, the risks of drowsy driving are actually quite comparable to those of drunk driving. Specifically, missing anywhere from two to three hours of sleep per night (or more) can quadruple a driver’s risk of being involved in a crash. What is the ideal amount of sleep for an adult? Adult drivers should sleep for at least seven hours per night. With that figure in mind, losing two to three hours of sleep on any given night means that driving after sleeping for only four or five hours can drastically increase the risk of an accident.

Whether you are driving locally in Carlsbad or are on the I-5 heading to work, it is extremely important to avoid drowsy driving. What else can California drivers learn from the recent AAA study?

Drowsy or Fatigued Driving Can Be More Dangerous Than Other Risky Behaviors

Could drowsy driving actually be more dangerous than driving under the influence of alcohol or distracted driving? According to the article, drowsy driving—or fatigued driving—may be more hazardous than distracted driving simply because fewer drivers understand the risk. While parents generally understand the risks of texting or talking while driving, there is little discussion surrounding the risks of fatigued driving.

What is one of the common misconceptions about drowsy driving? Many people believe that fatigued driving tends to impact drivers on long trips, or long-haul truck drivers, for instance. While covering a substantial number of highway miles may induce drowsiness and require the driver to take a break, fatigued driving can easily affect local drivers, as well. Regardless of the type of driving that you are doing, it is very important to take away one of the key points from the study: as a society, we know how dangerous drunk driving can be and as such we have instituted laws to prevent it, yet drowsy driving may be just as dangerous.

Fatigued Driving Impacts Teens and Night-Shift Drivers

It is also important to realize that drowsy driving can affect almost anyone and that inexperienced teen drivers, as well as elderly drivers and those driving home after night shifts, may be at particularly high risk of a fatigued driving accident.

The article cites an instance of a teen driver who likely fell asleep at the wheel, which led his car to cross three lanes of traffic, to flip several times, and finally to come to a stop after crashing into a tree. The teen driver sustained fatal injuries in the crash. His parents emphasize that we need to do more to educate teens and their families about the dangers of drowsy driving.

Yet teens are not the only ones who tend to be at especially high risk of a drowsy driving crash. According to the AAA director for traffic safety and advocacy, there are three key groups of people who tend to be at higher risk of a collision caused by fatigued driving:

• Teen drivers;
• Seniors; and
• Night-shift workers.

As the AAA director underscores, many people are not aware that “driving with having only earned four to five hours of sleep in a 24-hour period can be just as impairing as driving legally drunk.” In order to prevent such accidents from happening, it is important for the driver to acknowledge her or his limitations and to pull over to rest. In addition, passengers can help to keep a driver alert and to take over the wheel in the event that the driver becomes fatigued.

Contact a Carlsbad Car Accident Lawyer

If you or someone you love sustained injuries in a crash caused by a drowsy driver, an experienced car accident attorney in Carlsbad can assist you. Contact the Walton Law Firm today.

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Whether you are feeling tired on your drive home from work or are fatigued from having been on the highway for hours, drowsy driving can lead to serious and fatal car accidents. Many residents of San Diego get behind the wheel of an automobile when they are too sleepy to concentrate properly, and this practice can be hazardous to other drivers and passengers on the roads, as well as to cyclists and pedestrians.

According to a press release from the National Sleep Foundation, about 96% of Americans surveyed believe that “it is unacceptable for someone to drive when they are so sleepy they have trouble keeping their eyes open,” but more of us drive in such a state than you might think. Around 33% of those surveyed admitted to having driven when they were extremely fatigued at least once in the last 30 days. What else should you know about drowsy driving and how to prevent it?

Learning More About Sleep Safety

One of the keys to preventing drowsy driving, the press release emphasizes, is educating more drivers in the U.S. about “sleep safety.” While most of us likely have not heard that term used before, it is a term that underscores the importance of getting enough sleep before hitting the road. As David Cloud, the CEO of the National Sleep Foundation explains, “people know that they shouldn’t text or drink when they drive, and that’s great.”

Yet, as Cloud went on to articulate, “many don’t realize that driving while drowsy is also dangerous.” If you are having trouble keeping your eyes open while you are driving, you can fall asleep “for just a few seconds and not realize it,” Cloud highlights. And if you do fall asleep for even a few seconds while you are traveling at highway speeds, you could travel hundreds of yards without having any eyes on the road. As a fact sheet from Distraction.gov explains, traveling at a speed of 55 miles per hour (a speed that is below the average speeds on the I-10, for reference) for just five seconds means that you have covered the length of an entire football field.

What does sleepiness do to our bodies? The press release notes that extreme fatigue to the point of falling asleep can result in some of the following:

• Slower reaction times behind the wheel;
• Impaired vision;
• Judgment lapses; and
• Information processing delays.

If you are awake for 20 hours or more without sleeping, studies suggest that you are impaired in a manner that is equivalent to a driver with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08%, which is the legal limit in California.

Preventing Fatigued Driving Accidents

The press release emphasizes that drivers should always do the following before getting behind the wheel:

• Get at least seven to nine hours of sleep before you drive;
• Always drive with another passenger on long car trips;
• Take a break from driving every two hours or 100 miles;
• Pull over and take a nap if you feel tired;
• Do not drink alcohol or take any medications that list drowsiness as a side effect; and
• Consume at least two cups of coffee, or the equivalent in caffeine.

If you or someone you love sustained injuries in a car accident caused by a drowsy driver, a dedicated car accident attorney in San Diego can discuss your options with you. Contact the Walton Law Firm today to learn more about filing a claim.

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