Most drivers have felt tired while driving on some occasions. Some drivers feel tired even before they get into their cars, like a night shift worker might do when they finally get to go home. Others feel fine at first, but tiredness creeps in as the minutes or hours of the journey tick by.
Feeling a little sleepy at the wheel is such an everyday occurrence that most people do not give much thought to just how dangerous it can be. Statistics show fatigue plays a role in about one in five crashes – so it is clearly something everyone should take more seriously.
How does it increase risk?
To understand why driver fatigue is such a danger, think back to the last time you talked to someone who was obviously very tired. Let’s say it was your spouse who was nodding off on the couch while watching television. Or perhaps it was your child, as you tried to get them ready in time to catch the school bus.
The conversation was probably not that great. They might have punctuated it with lots of “What’s?” as they struggled to make sense of what you were saying, or where they were. Maybe your spouse failed to notice you leaving the room or taking the remote out of their hand. Maybe your sleepy child put their top on back to front or spilled their bowl of cereal all over the table.
Would you feel happy if someone in such a state of confusion were behind the wheel of the car you are in? Of course not. You’d probably be terrified. However much a driver thinks they are fine to drive, if fatigue overtakes them, they could drift into a confused state, where they do not notice what is happening on the road, are slower to react and more likely to make an error that leaves others injured.
If you’ve fallen victim to a fatigued driver and find yourself in need of compensation, it may be time to seek legal guidance.